“We have seen that immigrant and refugee families are really excited by the idea of gardening,” says Denver Urban Gardens Director of Development & Communications Rebecca Andruszka. “For some, it is certainly to help supplement their food budgets as they establish employment, but others are just used to gardening and farming – they enjoy it, it gives them confidence, and it helps feed their families.”

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“Immigrants and refugees from rural and agrarian areas become the experts, the teachers, in the gardens, when in the rest of their life they are struggling to learn how to fit into a brand new culture,” notes Andruszka.

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“Establishing a new life in a new country is an enormous endeavor, especially if you are escaping a bad situation,” says Andruszka. “The community garden offers therapy, a way to meet neighbors who might have a different background, and can reconnect you with your home by growing familiar produce.”