Our Vision
We envision farms everywhere that cultivate vibrant, connected communities.
Our Story
“Grow-Life”, Eden Streets first chapter, was started as a pilot in 2018 in partnership with Northern Children’s Services, a Philadelphia institution focused on promoting the healthy development of children. “Farmer Karl” saw first-hand how foster children experienced the benefits of interacting with nature in the garden in this after-school program. He worked with Dr. William King, Gweny Love, and Nary Rennie to engage the citizens of Manayunk, PA to perpetuate this program.
After being inspired by Josh Slotnick’s TedTalk(R), “Community Farming: It’s Not About the Food”, Farmer Karl decided to enroll at the University of Montana’s Environmental Studies graduate program in Sustainable Food and Farming to learn how to make the benefits of farming with a social mission available in any community. In his visits to Missoula, he befriended Jean Zosel, Executive Director of Garden City Harvest.
COVID hit in March 2020. This caused Farmer Karl to redirect his efforts to incorporate Eden Streets and learn farming with a social mission by direct, first-hand experience as an Americorp intern at Wasatch Community Gardens’ Green Phoenix Farm in Salt Lake City working with women facing homelessness. Since moving to Utah in 2020, he has been actively working with Eden Streets leadership team to make farms with social missions a practical possibility in many communities around the world.
Our Philosophy
Every individual
emanates light.
Each individual has immense value.
Individuals transform through engagement with nature.
Core Values
Respect
We respect others, our ecosystem, and ourselves. Respect cultivates trust and a safe space for program participants and our staff.
Cooperation
We work cooperatively rather than competitively at all levels, building relationships and partnerships that are mutually beneficial. We communicate frequently and openly with community members, neighbors, partners, and each other.
Kindness
Our work is grounded in compassion. We are sensitive, empathetic, and kind.
Care
We are responsible for our wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of people, plants, and all living things within the sphere of our influence. Caring for the needs of others is healing.
Responsibility
Each person is trusted to listen carefully and respond appropriately so that the work assigned and the overall goals and mission of our organization are achieved. We follow through with the commitments we make.
Meet the Team
Karl Ebeling
Executive Director
The “Mister Rogers” of farming, “Farmer Karl” is a compassionate leader who is dedicated to lifting lives by connecting individuals with plants, the soil, and others on the farm. With 33 years of international business experience as a consultant, teacher, and mentor, Farmer Karl’s specialty is his ability to collaborate, educate, and support community leaders committed to providing farms to help people rebuild their lives.
Sara Marie Hamilton
Director of Cultivation
Originally from Berkeley, California, Sara Marie Hamilton has hands-on experience as an entrepreneur, farmer, food-system leader, and community organizer. She specializes in linking people with the resources needed to sustainably create abundance. Sara Marie sees farming as a powerful means toward social and environmental justice reform. With direct experience running a small family farm in Oregon, she employs regenerative, land-management practices to address community causes. As an instructor at Full Life Pilates and managing partner at the Slow Life Farm, she managed social media and customer relations. Sara Marie is certified in advanced permaculture, growing small farms, and sustainable agriculture.
Nary Rennie
Director of Member Services, Treasurer & Secretary
Nary Rennie, is a refugee from Cambodia, and a self-made business owner. Now she volunteers to work with inner city youth, advancing education, fundraising and leadership training. Nary heads the Grow-Life garden club in Philadelphia.
Board of Directors
Tamara L. McDaniel
Tamara L. McDaniel (Tami), has served as Youth Harvest Project Director with Garden City Harvest since 2016. The Youth Harvest Project is a therapeutic, service-oriented, work program. She builds healthy natural and social communities via youth-based farming and outdoor experiences in natural environments. As a behavior consultant for the Youth Enhancement Program, Tami supported at-risk youth in a school environment. As an alternative high school teacher, she co-developed and taught EATS: Ecology and Agriculture Together for Sustainability, working with under-served students. As an urban, environmental educator, she led service-learning programs as well as FOOTSTEPS, a summer leadership program. Tami has been recognized by Eden Streets as 2021 Outstanding Farmer.
Anne Dunaway
Anne Dunaway, Director of Agricultural Land Use for Marriott-Slaterville, has developed a local food system to empower farmers to grow profitably through cooperation and resource leveraging. As a member of Ogden Food Council, Anne advocates for food access for those experiencing food insecurity in underserved communities. As owner of Urban Prairie Ag, Anne not only runs a farm collective, but also farms herself to support the local food economy. After earning her Bachelor's degree in Education in 2011, Anne developed professional grant writing experience through working at nonprofits focused on social-issues planning through a collective-impact approach for measurable outcomes in Salt Lake City.
Mark Kearney
Mark Kearney, known as “Solomon” at Newark, New Jersey’s largest urban farm “City Bloom”, has been managing this three-acre intensive vegetable farm since 2012. A Mandingo warrior, Mark has a doctorate degree in life experience. Formerly incarcerated and homeless, Mark has overcome incredible social and emotional challenges and thus can relate to just about anyone. Mark continues to harness the power of the farm to transform not only his life, but also the lives of hundreds of individuals, including those reentering society. Those who come to the farm are his “farmily”. He IS the farm. Many who have worked alongside him planting, cultivating, and harvesting vegetables are now university graduates, business owners, and community leaders. Mark has sown the seeds of life skills, caring, and connection that have helped many to break out of the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
Thomas G. Wendorf, PE
Thomas G. Wendorf has over 39 years of experience in public works, Infrastructure financing, program delivery, construction management and delivery of services in the public sector. Thomas G. Wendorf is a Principal for Wendorf Beward & Partners, LLC (WB&P) specializing in disaster recovery working with local government clients. He served as Director of Public Works for the City of San Antonio. He was named Engineer of the Year for the State of Texas by the Texas Society of Professional Engineers and as Public Works Leadership Fellow by the American Public Works Association. Mr. Wendorf has been a leader in multiple professional and civic organizations including president of the Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association. He has a M.A. degree in Public Administration and B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.
Advisors
Jean Zosel
Jean Zosel has led Garden City Harvest as Executive Director in Missoula, Montana since 2011. As a community leader, she has built the organization to over $1M budget to manage 4 urban farms, 10 community gardens and 5 garden learning centers in schoolyards. She has developed a cooperative grower model that engages an ever-growing circle. Garden City Harvest works with students from kindergarten through college to inspire young environmental stewards. They hire teens who are struggling with life circumstances to grow food together.
Dr. William King, Jr
Dr. William King, Jr wears many hats. Professionally, he is a pediatrician in Philadelphia. Dr. King’s professional interests are in community-based pediatric practice, and parent education. His research interests have been on youth violence reduction, childhood malnutrition, and medical student outreach. Dr King works actively as “chief farmer” for the White Rock Children’s garden, raising veggies to fund a mission in Malawi. He similarly supports the children's garden club at Northern Children Services in Roxborough.
Gweny Love
Gweny Love is founder of Mantua Worldwide Community, Inc., an organization that primarily focuses on promoting public health, the arts and sustainability. Ms. Love has championed nonprofits to promote stronger communities and build capacity, as she educates children in gardening. Gweny has partnered directly in various projects with University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Physicians for Social Responsibility, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, American Insight, and Family Leadership Institute within the department of Human Services.
James Loomis
James Loomis is a professional organic grower, educator and small farm consultant. He has been a disciple of sustainability and permaculture for the past 20 years. He is currently the Green Phoenix Farm Director of Wasatch Community Gardens.
Michael Ableman
Michael Ableman is an American-Canadian author, organic farmer, educator, and advocate for sustainable agriculture. Michael is considered one of the pioneers of the urban agriculture movements. He is a frequent lecturer to audiences all over the world and the winner of numerous awards for his work. Michael Ableman is the founder of the Center for Urban Agriculture in Goleta, California where he farmed for 20 years; co-founder and director of Sole Food Street Farms.
Camille Winnie
Camille Winnie specializes in urban development, empowering those facing homelessness. Camille is behind the Downtown Ambassador Program, a group employed by the Alliance to patrol the downtown area thoroughfares, assisting businesses, visitors, workers, and the homeless. Currently, she is the director of community outreach at The Other Side Village in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Courtney Giles
Courtney Giles is a case manager at the Wasatch Community Gardens Green Phoenix Farm, is a personal advocate for each woman. With 12 years of experience in human and social services, she empowers women to overcome obstacles to stable employment and housing. She also organizes groups and events that focus on holistic self-care, including art-making, creative writing, and healing-based practices. From personal experience, she has learned to stop being a victim to take back her life. Her gifts and passion has given her the ability to connect and empathize with women.
