Founded: 1982

Population Served: Offenders and ex-offenders in the city and county of San Francisco

Key Elements: Horticulture, organic farming, landscaping, employment training, paid internship, community service

Goals: To provide opportunities for participants to assume leadership roles and visibility in the community; to change perceptions about offenders and ex-offenders in the criminal justice system, in the community at large, and in the interns themselves; to lower recidivism; and to address the lack of green spaces in our poor neighborhoods.

Description: The Garden Project began as a horticulture program for prisoners at the San Francisco County Jail in 1982, training prisoners in organic farming and landscaping while growing food to be donated to local communities. The Project pools the resources and needs of local businesses and government agencies to impact our local physical and social environment, all while paying participants a living wage. Since 1982, the Garden Project has consisted of the following three post-release programs:

- The Market Garden Program trains individuals in landscaping and gardening at two sites located on Carroll Street in Hunter's Point and at The San Francisco County Jail. Participants are paid to work a 32-hour workweek during which they learn to cultivate and harvest a variety of organic vegetables and herbs. Part of each harvest is sold at the weekend Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, to Bay Area restaurants, and to local specialty supermarkets. Much of the produce is also donated to local senior centers, family centers, and homeless shelters. The Carroll Street Garden training site is a place of community refuge in an area of few safe and green spaces, where many seniors spend their days and where families gather.

- The Tree Corps members plant and maintain street trees in San Francisco neighborhoods such as the Mission, Western Addition, and Hunter's Point. Tree Corps participants receive training from Department of Public Works employees in tree planting and maintenance, and are paid to work 32-hour weeks. There are limited slots for Tree Corps interns; former Market Garden participants are eligible for employment with the Tree Corps as slots become available.