Campus Y's HOPE Gardens to be unveiled this Saturday

UNC students will unveil their project to employ some of the town’s homeless Saturday.

The Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication committee of the Campus Y will open a 14-acre dual garden and farm that will offer transitional employment for the homeless.

Saturday’s event will feature workshops on sustainable agriculture and garden art, a community meal and a ribbon cutting presenting HOPE Gardens to the town.

“We really just want to invite the community to come and enjoy this new space,” said project coordinator David Baron.

Most of the jobs offered at HOPE Gardens will be in the farm section of the property, Baron said.

“The garden is essentially split in two,” he said. We are really hoping to provide transitional work for the homeless or those at risk for homelessness.

People can lease plots in the farm for $100 annually. The money is used to pay employees’ salaries and maintain the garden.

All of the 25 available plots have been leased through the end of the year.

Run by the Campus Y, the HOPE committee participates in service projects raising awareness of homelessness.

Event coordinators are hoping for a mix of UNC students and community members comprising both the homeless and non-homeless.

“These events are a great way to provide a connection between the homeless and the community members. It produces a lot of necessary empathy,” said Jamie Rohe, coordinator of the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness.

The land used for the HOPE Gardens was donated by the town’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“The lease for the land is a dollar,” said David Kayler, Project HOPE co-chairman. “It was really generous of them.”

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 2200 Homestead Road.



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