Delia’s Story 

Stories of Change-Because of our Faithful Supporters

Let me tell you about Delia.

She came to her first class with her baby on her back. Her baby’s face was dirty and he had a runny nose. Delia’s older son was a toddler and also in tow. It wasn’t the dirt or the snot. She looked sad. Her eyes were empty.

She came to our classes, and while she was going through our programs we visited her home. It had a tin roof and there were dirt floors. There was trash everywhere. You have to understand that we have different expectations for a home here than you may have in the United States. But it doesn’t matter if you have dirt floors or marble floors. There’s a feel — a pride of ownership — to a home. The feel of this home was one of depression.

But she kept coming to the classes. I noticed her start to fall more into the group. I’d see her laughing and her kids were playing with other kids whose parents were also growing through our programs.

She was engaged. She asked questions. I could see that she was processing what she was learning — that she wanted to own it.

When we went to install her garden box there was no garbage. Everything was clean and tidy and she had the space for her garden box ready. She had a big smile on her face. Her kids were clean and ready to help. There was a different feeling to the home. There were still dirt floors, but it was a happy space. There was a feeling of hope.

We put the drill in her hand and she put the box together. We worked with her to get her seedlings in place. She had access to water — not everyone does. She watered her plants.

We left Delia that day. Her box was in place and we loaded up our truck and drove off. But we didn’t leave her. She had a relationship with us — a relationship with Cultiva.

Juan, our field manager visited her to make sure everything was progressing — that her box was thriving — and talk with her about other things going on in her life. She came back to us for additional seedlings. I think it’s important to point out here that we don’t give away seedlings to people who already have a garden box. We sell them at cost, but they’re putting their own money into their garden boxes. 

We could have brought Delia a great big basket of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Instead, she earned a garden box and we put hope in her heart. When someone lacks food, that’s external poverty. When someone lacks hope, that’s internal poverty. We deal with both.

By being in The Garden with us, you are linking arms with women like Delia. It’s like you’re kneeling down with her, at her garden box, and patting the dirt into place around the seedling.

That’s what you do.