Building community. Accepting change. Finding purpose.

Developing skills. Building relationships. Maintaining recovery.

These are among the many, many benefits that members describe when talking about the community garden at Rosie's Place, a women's shelter in Boston. And, of course, there's one more: growing and enjoying fresh produce!

Rosie's Place was founded in 1974 as the United States' first women's shelter. Its mission, in the shelter's own words, is to "provide a safe and nurturing environment that helps poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives." Among the variety of programs offered at Rosie's Place these days is involvement with the community garden, which helps supply meals for shelter residents and also stocks the food pantry for anyone in need who might stop by.

Gardening is hands-on work that requires diligence and patience, but is also very gratifying, because you get to see, hold, and enjoy the fruits (and veggies!) of your labor.

"Rosie's Place has become like my mother's house," says Lucy N., a member of the garden program, "because it's a place that I come to and have food. They make my life better, and I'm happy."

You can read more about Rosie's Place by visiting the shelter's website or Facebook page.

This video was produced by Lucia Nazzaro, shot by Taylor Pelletier and edited by our intern, Cristina Ferreira. To see more uplifting videos, pop on over to our YouTube page!