Impact in the community of North End Halifax

Empowering youth to be actively engaged in building environments that impact their communities

Over the past 15 years youth have grown over 60,000 pounds of organic vegetables and fruit for community members dealing with food insecurity, all free of charge.
Each week, we run a culinary program, Elders community lunch and youth program snacks, all with ingredients from our own gardens.
We have 1 acre of land on the South Shore where we run camps with our youth, as well as grow additional food for our community members and programming.
The youth manage our inner city garden and are able to take fresh veggies and fruit home to their families over the course of the entire summer.
Hope Blooms held more than 100 food literacy /cooking skills training workshops, 12 community suppers, and more than 500 free soup-meals deliveries to seniors in the community in 2020.

In 2016, Dalhousie School of Health Promotion conducted research to measure impact through the lens of the youth parent (s)/ guardians:

100% of respondents said they believe having a plot in Hope Blooms garden has increased their ability to provide healthy food for their families.
99% felt a greater sense of belonging in their community since participating in the Hope Blooms garden and programs.
92% indicated that their level of community involvement has improved since joining the garden.
We now have 375 youth (in-person and virtual), more than 100 families, and seniors from diverse ethnicities across the province (including 20 newcomer families from Syria) that volunteer, and grow food, relationships, and community.
We share our commercial kitchen, free of charge, with new members of our community, and some have even begun selling their products in our annual farmers market. Our youth leaders have mentored them in social entrepreneurship and customer engagement skills.

In June 2016, our first Hope Blooms member, Mamadou Wade, graduated from high school. He received an $8,000 Hope Blooms scholarship, through sales of our dressings, and won the $70,000 TD Community Leadership Scholarship award. Mamadou graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Business in April of 2020, and currently works for the BBI.
Since 2016, 21 youth have become alumni, with all pursuing some form of education or joining the workforce after high school, with 90% of them being the first in their families to do so.
Kayleigh Bowes was a 2022 recipient of the Loran Award, a Canadian scholarship valued at $100 000 for her dedication to community work and leadership qualities.
In September 2023, 3 youth will be starting their post-secondary journeys, and 10 of our alumni will be continuing theirs. $64 000 will be given out between the 13 youth, the highest amount given out to date. ALL of this money is raised with your help from the profits of our fresh herb salad dressings.
All of the youth who come through our programming learn invaluable life skills throughout their time with us. Culinary skills, gardening skills, knowledge about green energy, entrepreneurial skills, public speaking skills and many many more. Education is all aspects of life is at our core.