WOMEN’S CENTER GARDEN
A couple weeks ago, we were thrilled to connect with our neighbors at the Women’s Center Garden, another one of Logans’ Plant a Row for the Hungry PARtners.
Meet Georgia, featured in the photo above, the Nutrition and Wellness manager for the Women’s Center Community Garden. What an incredible joy to hear her share about the ways the garden fits into the vision and mission of the Women’s Center to “work with each individual woman to break the cycle of trauma, abuse, violence, and homelessness and assist her in realizing a fulfilling dignified life, achieving self-sufficiency, and obtaining safe affordable housing.”
In 2019, staff at The Women’s Center saw 846 unique women and served over 22,000 meals. They are open to provide a safe refuge for women 365 days a year.
The community garden functions as a branch of the many beautiful ways that the center serves many women in the Raleigh community. Recently, the Women’s Center has established integrative support community housing for 12 women. This housing is called “Garden View” inspired by the Women’s Center Community Garden. Here, women are able to have their own living space, as well as medical support and meals. The Women’s Center launched Garden view as a “dramatic, innovative and inspired response to the growing number of unsheltered women in The Triangle suffering with severe mental health, abuse, trauma, sexual assault and interpersonal violence.” The garden provides a place where the women can just sit and be. Georgia explained,
“That’s what they love about the garden, the women have something productive to do - giving them a sense of accomplishment and self worth and an opportunity to give back to the community through Plant a Row...the garden is a pivotal part in our mission in healing the women from the inside out, body, mind and spirit.”