Trellis for Tomorrow

Trellis for Tomorrow fosters compassion and resilience in individuals and inspires them to build sustainable communities. We deliver experiential programming in organic gardening, food security, and youth development that integrate with one another and in ways that build long term capacity to improve the lives and communities of those we serve.see description of programs on schedule o of return.food for all (ffa) is a collaborative gardening program that provides life-giving, high-impact community engagement opportunities for partnering organizations including corporations, universities, faith-based institutions, non-profits, and other community groups. Staff design and install attractive raised-bed gardens at each partner site and provide all necessary resources and education for participants to manage the garden. Growing partners commit to donating at least half of their harvest to local pantries and other food assistance agencies, which has an immediate and significant impact on access to nutrient-dense produce for community members adversely affected by limited access to fresh foods. Since its inception in 2013, ffa has engaged 45 partner organizations and hundreds of participants to grow over 250,000 pounds of produce with an estimated positive impact on more than a million meals. In 2023, 22 garden sites spanning 5 counties represented over 28,000 square feet of growing space equivalent to 640 raised beds. In total 892 volunteer gardeners harvested over 36,000 pounds of produce and donated 31,000 of those pounds impacting an estimated 124,389 meals. The estimated value of this produce to the 40 receiving agencies is $77,743. Additionally, Trellis offered 176 garden based events including plantings, education and training, and workshops, clinics, and presentations. The added educational component allows participants to learn more about food system disparities and environmental impacts of food systems. Seed skills (seed) is a year-round youth development program built around student-led enterprises and environmental discovery. Adolescents, aged 12-18, engage in classroom and garden-based activities and receive mentorship that builds workforce preparedness and life skills while fostering leadership and personal agency. Programming has the added benefit of improving access to fresh, organic produce for participants and their communities. An "earn while you learn" program, seed simulates a true work environment in a safe and supportive space. Under guidance from expert staff, participants come together to create and implement an equitable, community-building business model that has them collaborating and problem-solving with real-life scenarios. Since its inception in the summer of 2018, seed has increased from 1 garden site to 4, and from 15 participants to 80. In 2023, over 356 hours of programming had a demonstrated positive impact the social and emotional capacity and variety of workforce readiness skills of these youth. Fourteen participants are on the youth leadership track. Additionally, the youth grew and harvested 4,203 pounds of produce and positively impacted 16,812 meals in their local community. A natural progression from seed is our grow careers (grow) program. Grow is a highly effective internship training and placement program for youth ages 16-24, giving participants meaningful experiences as they get real opportunities in the workplace. Trellis recruits interns and provides valuable training through active and ongoing mentorship, 1x1 and group coaching, workshops, and workplace simulations. Trellis matches interns with area non-profits and social impact businesses for paid internships, providing ongoing support to both the interns and the host sites. Post-internship, Trellis continues to be available as a mentor and resource to help interns process their experience and advance their education and/or career goals. In 2023, 10 interns were placed and paid competitive rates at 10 host sites who benefited from a subsidized internship experience with dynamic professional support. Opportunities ranged from 6 to 10 weeks, 10-20 hours per week. Interns completed a combined 769 hours of work, an average of 96 per person. Additionally, 6 workshops were provided, 5 individual training sessions, and 14 coaching sessions.