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United Way of Greater Toronto is proud to support The Sunshine Garden, now in its third year of operation

In 2000, United Way launched the Toronto Homeless Community Economic Development (CED) Program. Through innovative CED projects, homeless people and those at risk of homelessness help plan and build small businesses. As they learn business and life skills, and become active members of their communities, participants can begin to break the cycle of poverty.

Gifts from generous United Way donors made the Toronto Homeless CED program possible. These gifts led to additional financial support from the City of Toronto, Human Resources Development Canada, and Ontario Disability Support Program (Employment Supports).

The Sunshine Garden is one of these CED programs. Located in downtown Toronto, The Sunshine Garden is an "urban farm" run by people with severe mental health issues. For many, working at the Sunshine Garden is the first job they've ever had.

In 2000, these participants and their neighbours worked side-by-side, preparing soil and planting seeds in a 14,000 square foot space at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in downtown Toronto.

Today, The Sunshine Garden grows vegetables for the Good Food Box program - another FoodShare initiative - and plans to start cultivating vegetables that have never been grown commercially in Ontario.

A documentary about The Sunshine Garden is in the works.

Sunshine Garden employees reportedly experience less hospitalization, shorter stays when hospitalization does occur and improved relationships with families and peers. In 2002, only two of 60 Sunshine Garden participants became ill and had to end their participation in the program. Hospital staff say this is the first program to address the particular needs of their clients.

Through innovative grassroots projects like this one, United Way of Greater Toronto is helping to enhance people's quality of life and improve our community as a whole.