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Renovation Project

WEST OAKLAND

The Historic California Hotel
Our renovations will make this space an ADA compliant sensory and food producing garden for the 165 seniors living on this property.

OVERVIEW

Sankofa Garden is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, incorporated in California. We are founded by a licensed psychotherapist who envisioned a community garden as a therapeutic intervention. Through education, horticulture, art, and nutrition we provide community-based therapy.

African Americans have cultivated land for generations and have long known about and experienced its communal benefits. Our gardens will support emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing. Community gardens are a viable means of bringing fresh produce to the tables of residents in these urban food deserts to combat this disparity. Spending time cultivating plants also provides an inexpensive dose of nature therapy with a wide variety of positive impacts outside of improved food access. On average, people who garden or are exposed to gardening tend to eat more fruits and vegetables daily.

Our gardens will provide a variety of mental health benefits including reduced stress and anxiety, increased social engagement and productivity, decreased social isolation, health benefits, and increased satisfaction and quality of life. We hope to foster “neighborhood attachment,” an emotional bond to neighborhoods that promote individual involvement in the community

RENOVATIONS AT THE CALIFORNIA HOTEL

The garden’s current condition is not safe for our closest neighbors; a residential hotel for seniors. The electrical wires are exposed, they will be replaced and buried according to regulations. We will raise all garden beds to 3ft high and add 12 more beds for a sensory garden. We will correct the current wheelchair ramp and add another. Leveling the ground and adding CORE gravel will make the space accessible for those with walkers and wheelchairs. We will create a walkway around the entire garden, adding benches and rails. Our goal is to supersede ADA standards.y

SAN FRANCISCO

African American Art & Culture Complex
This space is a sensory garden and supports ASAR with space. Sankofa Garden is a part of the Fillmore Beautification Project.

ELK GROVE

Worm Whisperer Farm
We have partnered with a Black owned farm for 2 acres of their 40 acres. The space is for learning fieldtrips and our main space to grow produce.

THE CALIFORNIA HOTEL RENDERINGS

CURRENT GARDEN

– 10 Fruit Trees
– 12 Beds
– Koi Pond with Aquaponics System
– Greenhouse

ADDITIONS AFTER RENOVATIONS

– 12 additional beds (sensory garden)
– Walkway
– Rails
– CORE Gravel
– Additional Wheelchair Ramp
– Electrical

TIMELINE

GROWING

Sankofa Garden will start building our garden in the parking lot of our San Franicosco space (African American Art & Culture Complex) in Fall 2021. We are activiely seeking greenspace in East Oakland and Richmond. We intend to make all of our sites accessible to varying mobility types by superceeding ADA expectations and standards.

LEARN

GROW

SHARE

BUILDING LOCAL ECONOMY?

Sankofa Garden believes in building our community and will use earned income opportunities and livable wages for our interns, workers, staff; and fair fees for the consultants and small businesses we engage. Over 60% of our budget is allocated to stipends and wages while we serve the community around us. We value the experiences we can offer our team but we do not expect them to suffer while serving. Sankofa Garden has partnered with SFJobs for grants to fund wages for up to 3 months and InternX to recruit the brightest BIPOC interns

SANKOFA GROWS: OUR PROGRAMS

Under the guidance of the community, farmers, gardeners, coaches, artists, and mental health professionals, we will integrate healing, restoration, multisensory stimulation, and food growing. Sankofa Garden will implement our mission with several programs.

  • All Senses Artist Residency: Every 2 years we accept 5 women of color artists to revamp the art in the garden. The residency includes funding, business development workshops, and space to create.
  • Silver Sage: To reduce isolation among Black seniors we provide an ADA compliant garden with wellness workshops, gardening, light movement activities, and storytelling.
  • Pollinators: To promote a sense of community with fun activities we engage youth with field trips, teach gardening techniques, and social-emotional skills.
  • Growing Well: Research-based wellness cohort guided by a physician, nutritionist, and therapist to track health outcomes of 10 participants, living in for 2 years.
  • Grow Where You Are: Provides education, technical support, and garden startup for low-income urban residents living in small spaces.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is our primary focus. We are confident we will be able to increase our programmatic and organizational sustainability through several strategies. We will strengthen both the board and staff’s fundraising capacity through professional development opportunities. We will build and sustain relationships with other local foundations. Develop stronger ties to local corporations and small businesses. Improve and innovate our special events in order to bring in more revenue. Expand our individual donor cultivation activities, and exploring earned-income strategies.