Urban Community Farm Veggielution Takes Root in Silicon Valley
Veggielution isn’t your average farm. Sure, crops are grown, tended and harvested; you’ll find people working in the fields and stallholders selling fresh vegetables to customers.
But there’s an important difference. Veggielution is a community farm that’s centered on people, not profit, and they’re utilizing food and farming to build a positive community in East San José.
Founded in 2008, Veggielution operates a 6-acre urban farm at Emma Prusch Farm Park in the Mayfair neighborhood of Silicon Valley. Their mission is to connect people from diverse backgrounds and offer training, education, and leadership development through food-centered programs.
The farm is the heart of Veggielution’s community. But in addition to working with people and hands-on farming, the success of Veggielution relies on behind-the-scenes operations including outreach, volunteer work, sponsorships… and a lot of paperwork.
To that end, Veggielution needed a local workspace where they could get things done in a quiet and productive environment, and All Good Work stepped in to help plow the way.
Through the All Good Work program and the positive contribution of our newest Host — NextSpace Powered by Pacific Workplaces — the Veggielution team is now happily enrolled at NextSpace on Second Street, San José, just 3 miles from the farm.
“Inspirational and supportive”
“Having a base at NextSpace Second Street means we have a quiet place to work, meet, and get things done; we’re so productive when we work here,” said Cayce Hill, Executive Director at Veggielution. “It’s inspirational and there’s a positive, supportive community that aligns with our own ethos in East San José.”
For Hill, like so many others who run nonprofit organizations, choosing where to place their financial investment is a difficult decision.
“Thanks to All Good Work and NextSpace we’ve been able to offer the chance for all of our staff to work more effectively and make those valuable community connections at Second Street,” she added. “We’re excited at the prospect of reaching more people and growing our East San José farm community.”
All Good Work Foundation expands footprint
This isn’t just great news for the Veggielution team — it’s also an exciting step forward for the All Good Work Foundation.
The introduction of NextSpace Powered by
Pacific Workplaces marks our first step into Silicon Valley and a significant expansion for the Foundation, which until now has mostly operated in New York.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the generosity of workspace Hosts like NextSpace Powered by Pacific Workplaces.
“When I learned about All Good Work, I applied to become a Host without hesitation,” said Keith Warner, Managing Partner, Owner and Operator of NextSpace Powered by Pacific Workplaces. “It’s a powerful resource that enables us to donate space to social impact organizations like Veggielution that are making a real difference in the world.”
Thanks to our Hosts, All Good Work is able to connect the dots and help nonprofit organizations by placing them into local coworking communities, where they can get the support and infrastructure they need to follow their vision without the financial burden of an office lease.
But it’s not just nonprofit Residents that benefit.
Keith added: “Through this connection we’re not only giving back to organizations that need a helping hand, we’re also making a positive difference by bringing in people who want to become an active part in our community.
“It’s a win-win for all concerned.”
You can learn more about Veggielution and how they’re building bridges within the local community at veggielution.org. If you’re interested in applying to join All Good Work as a Resident or a workspace Host, contact our team today — we’d love to welcome you onboard!
The Veggielution team at their San José coworking space. Cayce Hill of Veggielution (left) with Keith Warner of NextSpace Powered by Pacific Workplaces (right).
