Anderson Valley Elder Home received a $9,000 grant from Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency to partner with the Gardens Project in developing the first community garden in Boonville. The two groups, along with the Anderson Valley Senior Center, have been talking about a community garden on the Elder Home property for more than a year; in the summer of 2016 the timing and funding was right to build this garden!

The community garden is a place for anyone in Boonville that does not currently have the space or resources to grow their own food. The Elder Home, the Senior Center, families in the nearby apartments, and clients of the Food Bank all showed interest in the development phases. This garden has 20 raised beds for gardeners with low mobility and 10 in-ground beds for families.

Eriberto Mendoza first approached the Gardens Project in the summer of 2014 with the idea for a community garden in Boonville. He said, “I’m really excited to see this project develop. I first reached out to the Gardens Project because my parents and grandmother living in the apartments across the street really desired to grow their own food but didn’t have the space- now I see how many others in the valley could benefit from a community garden too. Also, this garden could help to unify the Spanish and English speaking residents of Boonville by sharing a common space.”