Before I came to GRuB, I had a negative perspective on almost everything. I didn’t really have any friends because I was mean. I use to make fun of anyone who was different. I found myself very unhappy. I felt I had nobody to trust or to turn to when something didn’t turn out right. I felt alone.

On my first day of work at the GRuB farm I arrived a few minutes late. As I was walking to the circle of new people at my new job, feeling like I was going to get in trouble for being late, one of the peer crew leaders ran with a big smile and told me who he was and took me to the circle so we could all be introduced and start our first day of work. At that moment I felt welcomed and happy and a lot less nervous. I felt like they wanted me there.

Now I view the world as a big community, or more like a BIG family. I feel I get the chance to help people and make a difference in somebody else’s life. We can all work as a family, and grow like a family, and one day at a time we can help make this place called earth become a better place.

- Felicia, GRuB Youth Crewmember

Felicia and all of us here at GRuB thank you for your support of our work to empower youth & families!

Before I got the job at GRuB, I was not the same person that you see today. Then I was in a darker state of mind, surrounded by drugs and juvenile detention. I did not have a lot of support, and never talked to anyone about my emotions. I had a lot of anger inside of me that I was releasing in negative ways. I dropped out of high school before the second semester of my freshman year, but was forced to return my sophomore year by my probation officer.

I hated high school, not because I didn’t like to learn but because of the attitude people would show. It took me until my junior year to start pulling myself back together. That summer I got a job at GRuB, and experienced something I’d never understood until now. GRuB has changed me in ways I’d never thought possible.

GRuB has changed how I view school. I want to be a veterinarian. Before GRuB I never thought I could or would want to work hard enough to get into college, let alone graduate high school. I see the world as a huge opportunity to try something new and learn something more about myself. I am a much happier person now, who is not afraid to tell people my story. I am not a failure; I am a strong woman who went through a rough time.

It makes me stronger to know that I did not have to do it alone. Now I have positive friends and family who support me during my tough days. I also have the support of my co- workers at GRuB. GRuB has really helped me grow mentally. It has also taught me skills I will use for the rest of my life. GRuB is an amazing organization.

– Becca, GRuB Youth Crewmember

Becca and all of us at GRuB thank you for your support of our work to empower youth & families!

Leland, Nicole and their family are extremely excited about getting their new home garden. Although they have been passionate about eating healthy foods, their access to fresh, organic produce has been limited by their income.

They have very little gardening experience and are really eager to get started with their first garden. They also have a goal to contribute to our local food system even further by starting a gluten-free food cart!

Your donations have supported the cost of three 4′x8′ raised beds, filled with organic soil, seeds, pea trellises, and written instructions and advice on planting, tending, and watering. GRuB will also follow up with vegetable starts twice a year and holds seasonal workshops.

Thank you all for making it possible for Leland & Nicole to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of their family and community!

Mallorie writes,

“Before I came to GRuB, I was stressed out 24/7 and when it came to food and money, I didn’t know where things would end up. I didn’t know we had local farms and didn’t really even understand the meaning of “organic” and what organic veggies were. I didn’t realize that a lot of problems in society were actually problems. I thought it was normal to give people a hard time and “joke around” with them whether they were laughing or not. I didn’t realize how often people were stereotyped against because of differences and uniqueness. I was also unaware of how I could help the community as a youth.  I didn’t think that I could really be a powerful member of society.

Now, I feel like I can provide myself with food, even if there is no money. I feel like the people I have met at GRuB will help me through anything. The community is really a lot more involved in my life than I thought. I can grow my own food now too. I have developed a whole new sense of education and it has expanded my mental and physical horizons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Mallorie and all of us here at GRuB thank-you for supporting our efforts to empower youth! Thank you all for donating a week of wages for Mallorie. A special thank you to Laurent for donating three days of wages for her! Thank you so much!

Dear bonnie,

Patricia and Isel received their first garden from GRuB 10 years ago and they have been experiencing the joys and benefits of growing their own food ever since! Pat’s chronic health issues make it hard for her to engage in regular exercise, so her garden helps her to get moving and she loves being outdoors.

Because these gardens generally only last about 7 years, the family recently reconnected with GRUB to request the support needed for a new garden. Your donation has made this new garden possible!

Pat & Isel love the fresh food they get from their garden and they love to cook. They’re both looking forward to getting more involved with GRuB as volunteers and workshop attendees. It’s great to have them as long-time members of our extended family.

Pat, Isel, and all of us at GRuB thank you for your support of our efforts to empower local families to grow their own food and build self-sufficiency. Thank you for donating this home garden to them!

Gordon works with developmentally disabled students at one of our local middle schools. He first learned about GRuB when he began bringing his students out to our farm for field trips so they could learn about where their food comes from and have the opportunity to learn in a more hands-on way.

Gordon is passionate about sustainability and is really excited to be able to grow food for himself and his family. He hopes to grow enough to be able to give food away to friends and neighbors, as well!

From Gordon and all of us at GRuB, thank-you so much for supporting our efforts to empower low-income people to grow their own food. Thank you, Elizabeth!

Serena writes,

“Hey my name is Serena and I am a part of GRuB’s Cultivating Youth Program. Being a part of GRuB means a lot to me, and I strongly feel that being a part of the grub family has helped shape me to be who I am today.

Before coming to GRuB, to say it simply, I was lost. I couldn’t seem to find my way into the right crowd of people, yet I seemed to walk right into trouble. Not passing high school, spending my senior year trying to figure out where I was going to be living and how I will be finding a job as a felon. Having this persistent feeling that I was stuck in this dark tunnel with no light at the end.

Working at GRuB, I was physically enriched by getting to put my hands into the soil of the earth every day. Also by just working with the land and doing some good hearty work. The part that I was not expecting to get was mentally enriched. When I would go to work we would have workshops to help us understand things in a different light.

Working at GRuB and seeing all of these people with big hearts and open minds to everything, it makes me so motivated to do something and make a difference. I finally have motivation to do the things I want.  Since getting my job at GRuB, I have gained confidence in many places.”

From Serena and all of us at GRuB, thanks for your support of our work to empower youth & families, Laurent!

“Before I came to GRuB, I was unmotivated to go to school and was failing most, if not all, of my classes. I wasn’t getting along with my family or friends and I was just always in a negative state of mind.

And then I got a job at GRuB…and I’m a different person

GRuB helped me to turn my challenges into my strengths. I talked about my work life and my home life and this gave me the space I needed to open up and not feel like people were going to judge or criticize me.

Now I am proud of who I am and proud of the struggles I have overcome and I am grateful for having been given the chance to work in this type of environment. I am able to talk to people in a positive way, give presentations without hesitating or worrying what people may think, and now I am passing all my classes and I am confident about my future.”

– Sam, GRuB Youth Crewmember

From Sam and all of us here at GRuB, thank you so much for your support of our work to empower youth & families!

“Throughout most of my life I would not have considered myself a political person, but in the process of being a mother I have found that includes helping to create real change in the world.

GRuB is such a well spoken of organization in this community and I went to visit their farm with my children. In the process, I learned about the Kitchen Garden Project and applied for a garden for our family. I am so excited about expanding my community through this program and have enjoyed building gardens for other families.

The Kitchen Garden Project is powerful on so many different levels: through community building, preventing hunger, the power of giving families the tools to grow their own food (enough to give to friends, family, neighbors and the food bank!) supporting Olympia’s food resources by connecting home gardeners and building a seed community.

These things protect all of us against hunger and the real dangers of what food corporations are doing to the world’s food supply.”

– Alison, GRuB Kitchen Garden Project Gardener

Thanks so much for supporting a home garden for Alison’s family and helping GRuB continue to empower youth & families!