We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
Cadillac Urban Gardens began in 2012 as an effort between the Ideal Group, General Motors, Detroit Dirt, Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV), and SW Detroit community residents to provide a welcoming space for community members to come together, grow fruits and vegetables, and learn from one another – with everything grown in the garden available for families in need to harvest and take home for free.
Several of the most integral components of growing and sustaining this garden were our Madrina’s and Padrino’s (Godmother’s and Godfather’s of the Garden) and youth leaders. Intergenerational mentorship is key to this garden! The story that tugs at my heart was that of one of the original Madrina’s, Gloria Contreras. She was there from the beginning. She would not only bring out her family to help maintain the garden but made fresh homemade salsa from things she picked. Now Gloria and her daughter, Jackie Perez (an early garden youth leader) run a delicious food truck called Antojitos Southwest (https://www.facebook.com/AntojitosSouthwest/)!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Cadillac Urban Gardens was established in 2012. This project began as a collaboration with the Ideal Group, General Motors, Detroit Dirt, SDEV, and various community partners and residents. It successfully turned the former Cadillac Clark Street Executive Park lot from underutilized, vacant space into a productive community place to grow free, fresh produce for and with the community. It has transformed into a community gathering space, living laboratory, and place for intergenerational mentionship growing more than just produce, but leaders.
In 2022, over 1,000 families were positively impacted through the 2.25 tons of free, fresh produce that were grown, harvested, and distributed through Cadillac Urban Gardens.
In 2012, I served as one of the original co-founders and the designer of the garden based on community input and feedback. In August of 2022 we celebrated the 10 year Anniversary of Cadillac Urban Gardens.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Cadillac Urban Gardens helped to get many families through the COVID-19 crisis. While we had to scramble to make it happen and develop new safety protocol. We had always been a safe place to come in, meet other community members, and pick your own produce. In June of 2020 we launched an online produce order form in which our staff would pick produce and have it available for families to pick up at scheduled times without any physical contact. This was so important not just for the families who had always relied on the garden, but those suffering from numerous losses like family members, jobs, the difficulties of shopping at a grocery store, and even today the continued rising costs of produce & fuel at a grocery store.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
You have to genuinely get to know the partners and community members you serve and be open to mentoring or being mentored regardless of anyone’s age or education level. That is why intergenerational mentorship is one of the foundations of Cadillac Urban Gardens.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/cadillacurbangardens/3128658358763954853/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CadillacUrbanGardens
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/93228438/admin/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vPpw4zAfrg
Image Credits
Cadillac Urban Gardens staff members – please contact Sarah Clark at 248-756-8078 or [email protected] with any other questions.