Growing Spaces Grant Winner Eva’s Village Gets Growing

We are very excited to announce the completion of the 26′ Growing Dome for the 2014 Growing Spaces Third Place Grant Winner – Eva’s Village. The innovative homeless shelter greenhouse is located next door to Eva’s Village at Wayne Auto Spa owned by Rob Burke. The new indoor garden will produce food for the teaching kitchens and the dinner tables of families in need in Paterson, NJ.

For an article on NorthJersey.com Rob Burke reported the following about the project’s progress:

It took eight days to build,” said Burke. “We finished on Oct. 29, with six to eight volunteers, including some skilled tradesmen. And some of the people who were our bigger contributors, came back for a celebratory barbeque last Sunday night. Everyone had a good time. I’m very happy with the way it looks and thrilled about the amount of food I can grow now. There’s no more down time, where before, during the winter months, we were extremely limited in what we could grow, outside, when it was cold.” The article on NorthJersey.com is no longer available, but you can read more here: (Read Article “Wayne Business Owner Grows, Donates Food But Wants to Feed More)

Or read about the Kickstarter project here: The Greenhouse Project at Wayne Auto Spa

As part of the grant award, Growing Spaces sent Richard and Janet Miller from Colorado to New Jersey to lead the construction of the Growing Dome. They were assisted by a team of volunteers from Eva’s Village. Upon returning home from the trip, they received this wonderful thank you email from the Joanne at Eva’s Village:

Richard and Janet, There are not enough words to express our gratitude for your assistance in getting our Growing Dome built. As I am sure you are well aware of, we could not have done it without you!!! I had a great time being a part of it and getting to know you both. Attached are some photos. – Joanne K. Fagan, Communications and Grant Specialist, Eva’s Village, Inc.

About Eva’s Village
Eva’s Village has a mission to “feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, treat the addicted, and provide medical and dental care to the poor with respect for the human dignity of each individual.” They have a culinary arts school for their clients and a community kitchen that serves over 300 people every day including mothers and children at Eva’s Village Hope Residence. Their primary outcome is to increase the amount of fresh organic product available to their Community Kitchen and Hope Residence. Eva’s village was founded in 1982 and has over 1,200 volunteers. They feel this project will have an impact on people’s lives because replacing pre-prepared, conventional food with organic food will provide more nutrients to people, offer superior tasting meals, and reduce the amount of carcinogens they are exposed to, especially the children. They express “quite simply we will be feeding our clients food that is healthier for them and their children.” To read more about the Eva’s Village Greenhouse Project visit: New Jersey Antipoverty Program Partners with Wayne, NJ Small Business Creates “The Growing Dome® Project for Eva’s Village”. You can find them on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evas-Village/

Learn more about the Growing Spaces Grant Program and How to Apply

author avatar
Kyle
Kyle joined the Growing Spaces team in 2015, and enjoys being involved in all the exciting projects and developments happening around here!I graduated from Pagosa Springs High School in 2009 and moved to Gunnison, Colorado to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies. After graduating from Western State Colorado University, I moved back to my home town Pagosa Springs. Since moving back home in 2013, I have been working to develop a farm in Arboles. In my spare time, one may find me backpacking in the wilderness, cruising on a mountain bike, slacklining in the park, or skiing Wolf Creek. I also enjoy creating art when I am not outdoors. The mediums that I enjoy working with are yarn, canvas and paint, and clay. I have been experimenting with aquapoinics and am always excited to share knowledge on the subject with others. I joined the Growing Spaces team in 2015, and enjoy being involved in all the exciting projects and developments happening around here!

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