How a Windowsill Garden Helped Linda Grow a New Future
When Linda became a first-time mother while living in transitional housing, she was determined to build a brighter future for herself and her daughter. What began as a small container garden on a windowsill would eventually grow into a years-long journey of healing and leadership through Services for the UnderServed (S:US)’ Urban Farms® program.
Linda first encountered Services for the UnderServed while living at the Dorothy McGowan Residence in Washington Heights, where S:US provided supportive services to residents. The stability of transitional housing and supportive services helped create a foundation for a new chapter in her life.
“Living at Dorothy McGowan was tremendous and pivotal for me,” Linda shared, “Having housing has been beneficial in a way that it has changed the trajectory of not just my life, but also my daughter’s life and countless other people.”
As she focused on raising her daughter, Linda sought ways to reconnect with herself and the natural world.
“I set an intention to connect back with nature and to take hold and cultivate my feminine energy in this process of healing,” she said. “So, with the help of my daughter, I created a DIY container garden on my one windowsill.”
That small garden sparked a passion for growing food and becoming more self-sufficient. Around the same time, S:US Urban Farms® partnered with Dorothy McGowan Residence to teach residents how to grow their own food and build healthier communities. Linda began volunteering as an Urban Farmer and quickly discovered a meaningful way to give back.
“I felt like I was magnetized for the opportunity to work with S:US Urban Farms®… I volunteered for a year, and I’ve been working with them ever since, for over three years now,” Linda recalled.
After a year of volunteering, Linda’s natural talent for gardening and passion for helping others caught the attention of S:US Urban Farms® leadership, who encouraged her to apply for a paid position with the program. Since joining the Urban Farms team, she has spent the past three years helping community members across New York City grow food, build connections, and access fresh produce.
“I’m honored that I have been able to work with S:US Urban Farms® and also have been able to serve others in my community that has been in the same position, who has had housing insecurities as well as food insecurities.”
For Linda, S:US Urban Farms is a therapeutic agricultural space. Inspired by her own creative interests, she helped launch a healing arts project at one of the gardens, inviting residents to contribute to a community mural.
“We’re able to utilize the garden space as a space of healing that brings people together,” Linda explained.
What began as a way to reconnect with nature became a shared journey for both mother and daughter. As Linda’s role with Urban Farms grew from volunteer to employee, her daughter remained by her side through each new chapter.
“[My daughter] has been here with me every step of the way,“ Linda said. “She’s been my inspiration. We’ve built so many milestones with S:US Urban Farms® over the years. And we’re so grateful.”
Today, Linda sees S:US Urban Farms® as a community that has helped her grow through some of life’s most pivotal moments. Now, she is paying that support forward by investing in the neighborhoods that once invested in her and helping other New Yorkers build better lives.
“Working with S:US Urban Farms® has allowed me to engage and meet so many beautiful people. It feels not just a place of employment, but it feels like a family,” she shared, “I came from foster care so I don’t have a large network and I definitely don’t have family support, so [S:US] has filled in as family in our lives and has made this healing journey so profound for us.”
