TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A community garden for veterans is in the works at Esperanza en Escalante, an organization that provides transitional and permanent housing for homeless vets.
The previous garden had been abandoned for some time — so Suzanne Bond, Esperanza's CEO, got together with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) - University of Arizona Chapter to bring it back to life.
EWB partners with communities around the world to meet their basic human needs. Their volunteers roll up their sleeves and work side by side with locals to create lasting infrastructure that makes a real difference.
Tony Fennell, Responsible Engineer In Charge (REIC), and also a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 549, says the garden was rundown and hadn't been used in quite a while.
“So what our mission is, is to rehabilitate it. You can see some of the work here already that we rehabbed much of this that you see and then what we’re planning on doing is putting in an irrigation system, which is for the most part installed," Fennell said. "Then we’ll be putting shade in so that the garden can be worked on by the people who live here."
The goal is to have the veterans that live at Esperanza get more involved and plant and grow their own food.
There are three phases of the project.
Esperanza is currently in phase one, which is garden restoration. Phase two is rainwater harvesting and phase three is installing a solar system over the garden to provide shade and energy.
"And that's what really agrivoltaics is all about. It's utilizing the land most efficiently for both agriculture and solar power together at once," Fennell said.
Fennell says the design was all very well thought out. It's in a U shape, raised off the ground, and has pavement on one side, so veterans with disabilities or wheelchairs can also work in the garden.
Von Campbell, Army and National Guard veteran, moved into Esperanza about two weeks ago and says in this short amount of time, he already feels at home.
“They care about their vets. They try to get them involved in programs the best they can," Campbell said.
He believes the community garden will be beneficial for his neighbors.
“You know, it will give them a chance of pride again," Campbell added.
It’s a project that has all hands on deck.
About 35 students and 15 to 20 members from the VFW Post 549 are involved with the installation, along with the veterans and their families who live on Esperanza’s campus.
“That will hopefully show veterans that they do have civilians out here that really care about them and that totally impresses me," Campbell said.
Campbell thanks Esperanza for taking him in and helping him get back on his feet.
"For somebody to give me a chance at life again, that to me, means a lot," Campbell said.
Campbell has been clean for 23 years and says after he leaves Esperanza, he hopes to also make a difference by becoming a peer support specialist
"Cause I've been there. I've had bad history, but I was strong enough to turn it around and recover. And now I can use that, my experience, to go out there and help other vets," Campbell said. "I was determined to change my situation. If I can do it, they can."
The price tag of the project is about $175,000.
So far the funding has come from donations and a grant from Arizona Veterans' Donation Fund.
Donations are still being accepted. If you would like to be part of the cause or find other ways you can help, contact Esperanza.
The project is anticipated to be done by next spring.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
