“Before GRuB I was in a box and had no friends and not much of a social life. Every time I would be around people, I would want to hide and get as far away from them as I possibly could. I would just be quiet no matter what and would never give out my ideas or have a small talk with people. I never have had any where to feel safe and listened to until GRuB.

Now that I have attended GRuB I feel that my box has opened. I have made friends and got a different outlook on life. I feel GRuB is a loving and supportive family. Every day I look forward to coming to GRuB because I feel it’s my new place that I can feel cared for and safe. I’m not made fun of at GRuB, and my ideas are not shot down so I can say what I want when I want.

This summer there were three things that helped me make a change. We would have a check-in twice a day, one when we get there and one when we left. Everybody would check in with everybody and make sure everything’s ok and check how the mood is for the day. I also can remember times that I would have personal check-ins with staff which would change my whole mood to pure happiness because I knew that they were listening and actually cared.

The last thing that made a difference is called straight talk. In straight talk we give and receive good feedback from each other. We would be told what we did well in the week and what we could work on for the next week. I feel that it was a very important thing which helped me with my problems.

If I would have not come to GRuB I would still be in box alone and scared. Now that I have attended GRuB I have made new friends. Now I say and do whatever I feel I want to because I’m no longer afraid. I threw my box in the trash and don’t plan to get it back. I love GRuB, and I love everybody at GRuB.”

From Cody and everyone at GRuB, thank you!

When we first met Amy, she told us of her shyness, low self-esteem and fight with depression: “Being depressed and not thinking very highly of myself usually led to poor choices, such as doing drugs. It had never occurred to me that I’d find a group of people that I could trust and feel comfortable with until I came to GRuB.”

During this past summer, Amy was hired to work at GRuB. The family-like atmosphere significantly impacted her life. She told us, “GRuB has taught me so many things other than farming and I am still learning new things today. The people here at GRuB are so amazing and they make me feel so comfortable with them. I feel so blessed that I have a place like this to go to everyday. I love the welcoming feelings I get when I walk through the front door.”

Today’s she’s no longer dealing with depression and has a very positive outlook on life. She’s taken GRuB’s lessons to heart: it’s OK to be yourself. “So from now on I’m not scared anymore of expressing my feelings. I feel so amazed that I can call GRuB home, because that’s just what it feels like here, and let me tell you that’s an unbelievable feeling.”

From Amy and all of us at GRuB, thank you for making it possible to continue creating a safe place for youth to feel at home.

Mario just finished his first summer at GRuB. He is part of a new pilot program with our local high school. This is the beginning of more schools having youth farm programs that transform youth lives and our local food systems.

This summer, students who are struggling in school and/or come from low-income families are being connected to an experiential high school program. After completing our intensive summer employment program, students will spend 4 periods per day at the GRuB Farm, earning Career & Technical Education (CTE) credits in Horticultural Science, American studies, and Interpersonal Relationships. Here are Mario’s first impressions of working on the farm:

Coming into GRuB, I didn’t expect it to be so much work.  I mean, I knew it was going to be hard work, but I completely underestimated it.  And although it’s really hard, it’s really rewarding to actually see what we’re doing. Like when I harvested strawberries and saw so many boxes of them, it was really cool. Same with weeding the potatoes, first not even being able to see them and then just clearing out the whole thing, and for the first time getting excited to see potatoes grow.

Thank you for supporting Mario’s opportunity to grow good food and share his experiences with other youth. It is your generous giving to this innovative new program that will expand how we educate our children.

My name is Arael and I’m 16. My life before GRuB was that all the money we had went to bills and what was left over would pay for food. Not only were we broke but every time I saw my mom or my brother we would always argue, and that put too much stress on me, and the only way I would deal with it was hanging out with friends and geting into trouble. My family was slowly drifting apart and I couldn’t do anything, until the summer came and I found a place called GRuB.

After working here for two weeks I loved it, my favorite activity was called crazy Wednesdays where we would harvest delicious food and sell it later on are market stand.

While learning how to have a job I also shared my experience with my family and that made them proud of me. They were seeing that I was growing up and GRuB was helping in a very good way. Then I said to myself, I think GRuB would do very well in the community by helping teenagers go to school because that is one of my main struggles and one that they have been helping me with. They have helped me in school by giving me a place to come to do my online school work and they even found me my own tutor.

All in all GRuB has not only changed my life positively, but it has also changed the way I see things and the way I act in certain situations. They have taught me so much about growing food. I now love eating salads with a lot of different types of greens. I would say that this organization would not only help but influence others by going to school in an environment that works for you.

Thanks for your support of GRuB!

Ron recently graduated from his first year as a GRuB crew-member and we are extremely excited to have him on board in a second year leadership position as a Farm Assistant this summer. Ron is a young, married father who takes great ownership in being responsible for his family’s well being. In an article he wrote recently for our spring newsletter, Ron had this to share:

“The staff and crew at GRuB have accomplished many great things for the community. I personally feel an accomplishment for GRuB was Blue’s speech at our Soirée fundraiser where he said, “GRuB doesn’t save youth. GRuB provides an opportunity for youth to develop their voice, their power, and their ability to achieve their goals”. I think in giving that speech he accomplished a new standard for all youth organizations to hold the value that they are not saving those youth, but instead they are empowering them.

It’s important to also celebrate the bonds made at GRuB that overpower stereotypes. When interviewing many of our youth and staff, a common theme was spoken about the friendships built here and the trusting bonds between people of different races, genders, cultures, and home lives.”

Thank-you for supporting youth like Ron who help GRuB to make a difference in our community!

Merline & Donna came to GRuB for a garden so that they could grow their own fresh vegetables and increase their exercise and time spent outdoors. For them, its also important because it will help to supplement their food costs.

They’re most excited about growing “Tomatoes! Corn! Beets! Radishes! Snow Peas!” and they’ve got a great trellis for their garden that will be just perfect.

Merline & Donna look forward to seeing an overall improvement in their health as they eat more nutritious food and get their bodies moving as they care for their garden.

Thank you all for helping to make their garden possible!

Lucinda is a recent graduate of our first year youth program and we’re so pleased to have hired her on to continue with us this summer in a second year leadership position on our fundraising team. Lucinda is a powerful leader who has an innate ability to share the impact of GRuB’s work with others. Here’s just a snippet of what she’s had to say about our program:

“GRuB is a place to tunnel through your dirt and break through the topsoil to become the plant you’ve always wanted to be.

I feel more confident in myself as a student, because I know that there is no external force keeping me from getting to school on time.  It’s always been an internal struggle and because of the summer youth program, I know I can get up every morning and not be late.”

Thank you all for making it possible for youth like Lucinda to have a safe, supportive place to grow and build community!

One of GRuB’s youth, Sequoia was recently featured in an article about her participation in GRuB’s program. GRuB wanted to share some excerpts with you all donors, as a way to highlight the impact their program has had on her life:

[Sequoia] was a high school dropout, a teenager with health problems, grade problems and a bleak future. Then Sequoia signed up for a program that changed her life. She got involved with GRuB, a unique farming program in Olympia that teaches at-risk high school students about growing both vegetables and life skills. “I don’t know if I’d ever finished high school,” Sequoia said. “Not without GRuB.”

From 2001 to 2009, only 41 percent of the teens who entered the program were on track to graduate from high school. But over 91 percent of those students did graduate or got their GEDs, including Sequoia, who went on to get her GED and is still involved in the program as a counselor.

The cultivating program that mixes gardening and mentoring teaches low-income students who are at risk of not graduating a work ethic and accountability for about 25 students each year in GRuB’s Cultivating Youth Program. It’s based on the four ‘Rs,’ responsibility, rigor, relevance and relationships.

Sequoia had dropped out of Avanti High School in Olympia after missing so much school because of an illness caused by a thyroid problem. She turned to GRuB because her two sisters had gone through the program and had a positive experience. “I saw how much it helped my sisters,” Sequoia said. “I was at a point where I needed that.”

“I honestly don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for this program,” Sequoia said. “It just seems it would have gone very badly.”

To access the entire article, please click on the following link: http://www.thurstontalk.com/2011/06/05/struggling-teens-find-help-in-growing-vegetables-life-skills/

 Thank you so much to everyone for helping support Sequoia continue the GRuB program. Obviously it has had a tremendous impact on her life and it is with help from people such as you, that this program is able to make a real difference for people such as Sequoia.  Thank you all so much!

Natasha is 17 years old and has her GED education. She is currently enrolled at New Market Skills Center in their nursing program. In addition, Natasha started working at GRuB in June 2010. When she first started, she was really shy and didn’t talk to many people. However, the process at GRuB is that each day starts out with a check-in about how everyone is doing. A common question is ‘ if you could be any vegetable which one would you be?’ This exercise is followed by a game and the check-ins have really allowed Natasha to more powerfully start her day.

Overall, GRuB has really helped Natasha crack her shell by introducing her to the ‘Challenge by Choice’ initiative. Challenge by Choice is the option to participate in games and trust building activities or watch and support the people who choose to participate. Challenge by Choice makes Natasha want to try more things out, because she is given the choice to participate, and often the lessons she learns in the activities she is able to apply to real life outside of GRuB.

Here at GRuB people learn things they can apply to everyday life. People most importantly gain work experience; such as growing, harvesting, cooking, and selling fresh food. This is important because there are many low-income people working at GRuB and a lot of the people have dealt with food insecurity.

In addition to working in the field, people also work at a food bank to help sort food. This was fun for Natasha because its a real hands on activity in the community. Another way GRuB has impacted Natasha is by providing fun and rewarding stability.

Natasha believes GRuB would be beneficial to anyone, because of the way its impacted her life. She feels more engaged in school and is not as hesitant to ask questions. Because she is studying nursing, the things we learn here at GRuB about eating healthier foods and knowing how to communicate with peers and instructors really has paralleled well with her schooling.

Seeing as GRuB has been so impactful on Natasha, she greatly appreciates your donations that allow her to continue in the program. Thank you so much for supporting youth like Natasha!