Partnerships, Sponsorships, and Mentorships:

Gardens for Humanity provides a leadership role in the growing movement to revive and encourage local food production. As a member of the Verde Valley Food Policy Council, we are helping lay the foundation, values, and priorities for a secure local food system. We mentor home and community gardens, central to this movement.

Sustainability, the health of our environment, and solutions to climate change are all intertwined with where our food comes from. Through the Sustainability Alliance we are a strong voice for creating a just, healthy, and fair food system. We advocate growing and choosing food that makes a positive impact on land use, water, energy, and ecosystems; regenerates the soil and habitat; and respects traditions.

Art and Environmental Education

This program is central to our mission and serves as a model for how we develop other educational programs tied to school gardens. We provide activities that connect children to the environment, to develop awareness of where food comes from, and to give children the tools to make healthier choices for themselves and the environment. Art, as the means of environmental and garden education, helps students develop greater self-expression, creativity, experimentation, problem solving, in addition to enhancing their emotional relationship, appreciation and sense of responsibility towards the natural world. Learn more >>

School Gardens

Gardens for Humanity assists with school gardens throughout our community from site evaluation, to building the school team, to developing the garden, to helping teachers with learning resources aligned with state and national standards across the curriculum. Learn more >>

Community Education

The aim of our community education classes, events and volunteer opportunities is to come together as an extended “neighborhood” with expert teachers in our community to gain new knowledge and skills. Participants will acquire the knowledge and tools to live healthier and more sustainable lives and meet teachers and like-minded people in our community. Our workshops focus on and energize local and regional efforts toward making our community a better place to live, grow and prosper. Learn more >>

Verde Valley Seed Library

In 2015 we started the seed library with our board member Janice Montgomery, founder of the Verde Thumbs. The collection now has many seed packets with seeds grown, saved, and shared by local gardeners. These highlight beloved varieties that are successful and adapted to our region. The packets are labeled with where they were grown, creating a virtual “seed map” of our region. The library is thriving with more visitors each month contributing to a vital gardening community. Learn more >>

The Verde Thumbs Garden Club:

We serve as a sponsor for this community of gardeners that shares the challenges and joys of gardening in the high desert. Through monthly gatherings and a large and active Facebook group they are a source of passion, learning, and useful tips for novice and master gardener alike. The club is a source of knowledge, encouragement, and friendship. Learn more >>

Accessible Garden Design

The planters that we designed and built for the  Sedona Winds Assisted Living Center accessible garden is a game-changer for gardening and healing gardens for the elderly and disabled. They have attracted attention world-wide. We provide the plans for a small donation and so far they have been built in Veteran’s Hospitals, Senior Centers, Public Parks, and Community Gardens in many cities and countries. It was also featured in Universal Design Style, a website for innovations in technology for the disabled. The plans are available on our webpage here >>