Scotts Valley proclaims recognition for Homeless Garden Project after state award

Scotts Valley Mayor Tim presented a city proclamation Wednesday recognizing the Homeless Garden Project after the organization was named nonprofit of the year by the state.

The proclamation ceremony, held at Scotts Valley City Council Chambers, invited Homeless Garden Project leaders to describe the program’s mission and recent metrics. Bridal Meeley, board president of the Homeless Garden Project, told the council the program combines job training and horticultural therapy to support people experiencing homelessness. “The Homeless Garden Project provides a space for you to practice and develop responsibility with your coworkers and peers,” Meeley said, reading a trainee’s statement about how the program helped restore self‑worth.

Paul Goldberg, the organization’s director of development, said the project provides paid transitional employment and produces both retail goods and thousands of pounds of fresh produce. Goldberg told the council the farm provided about 22,000 hours of paid employment last year; over a 10‑year period, roughly 95% of program graduates obtained jobs and 88–93% obtained housing in various reporting windows. He said the farm produced about 30,000 pounds of organic produce last year and donated approximately 14,000 pounds through its Feed2Bids program to 13 partner nonprofits.

Goldberg invited the public to volunteer and attend upcoming events the organization is staging, including a farm dinner fundraiser on July 19 and participation in the July 12 Hoppin’ Barley Festival, where the Homeless Garden Project will be a nonprofit beneficiary.

Mayor Tim and council members praised the organization’s community work and thanked the volunteers and staff present at the ceremony.

The proclamation was ceremonial; no council action or funding change was recorded at the meeting.