Dig In with Us
Everyone Belongs Here
Thanks to Sprouts, the Down to Earth Garden continues to thrive. Dig in with us!
Sunday Mornings Fall through Spring
10:00 am to 12 noon
(Time varies depending on weather, check times here)
Garden Located @ Spaces of Opportunity
1200 W Vineyard Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85041
(Near 7th Ave and Southern)
Benefits of Gardening
Community & Therapy
Meet the Garden Facilitators
Farmer Hector and Teresa
Hector Bonilla is an experienced organic gardener, farmer, woodworker and father to Liam, a teenage boy who has Down syndrome and Autism. Hector grew up in a small rural coffee farming village in Mexico. He oversees the grounds, gardens and facilities for a twelve-acre K-12 school farm campus and teaches woodworking. Hector has completed various bio-intensive sustainable agriculture courses and holds a bachelor’s degree in sustainability.
Hector welcomes volunteers and extra helping hands. Please reach out to info@dsnetworkaz.org if you are interested in learning more.
Teresa DeMasi is a speech language pathologist who has been working with youth and adults with developmental disabilities since 2007. She also has certifications in yoga and holistic nutrition. She is a native New Yorker with fond childhood memories of watching her grandfather grow a beautiful tomato garden. Teresa moved to Arizona over 15 years ago. The desert stole her heart, and this is where she discovered her passions for yoga, cooking nutritious food, hiking, and connecting with nature. She adds nature-based and mindfulness activities to the garden experience with joy and creativity to support the Down syndrome community (knowing her grandpa would be proud of her:)
Spaces of Opportunity
Community Garden Plots
Spaces of Opportunity was born out of an idea of transforming 19 acres of land surrounded by neighborhoods in south Phoenix into a thriving community green space. Housing incubator farms, community farming plots, healing gardens, farmers markets and more, Spaces of Opportunity is helping build a strong community centered around agriculture.
DSNetwork has six irrigated garden plots in the Community Garden section open to teens and adults with Down syndrome to try their hand at farming, to be a little more self-sufficient, to learn something and connect with nature and others.
Learn more about Spaces of Opportunity.
