Members at a tenants’ union meeting hosted at the Dwight Street Garden. 

Growing season is coming to a close at our Dwight Street Garden in Holyoke. But in some ways, you have just planted the seeds.

Resiliency, to us, means three things. First, it means being able to grow our own food if and when we need it – whether fresh vegetables are hard to come by because money is tight or because the climate crisis disrupts our food supply.

Second, it means being connected to our neighbors so we can turn to each other when we need support. Third, resilience means our people are ready to govern ourselves in a way that puts people over profit.

Thank you for joining us in planting the seeds of resiliency in all its meanings. We grew hundreds of pounds of fresh food and gave it to our neighbors. We built connections with new people and partners – from engineering teams to garden experts to the new person on the block.

And, maybe most importantly, we held countless meetings in our own community space to build up a tenants’ union and find new ways to shift power back to the people.

Join us in making possible next season: completing our solar fridge project, making more of our garden beds accessible for people who use wheelchairs, and designing irrigation systems to keep our plants growing happily even in dry weather.

Thank you for making it possible.