The Homeless Garden Project (HGP) named New Leaf Community Markets its 2025 Employer Partner of the Year, recognizing the local grocer’s commitment to hiring graduates from HGP’s transitional employment program. The award was presented before more than 250 attendees at HGP’s Fall Sustain Farm Supper in Santa Cruz.
Founded in 1990, HGP provides job training, transitional employment and support services to people experiencing homelessness. Employer partners contribute to the nonprofit’s work by offering mock interviews, serving on employer panels and hiring program graduates who are prepared to reenter the workforce.
In 2025, New Leaf Community Markets hired five HGP program recipients, allowing those people to graduate early and opening spaces for new participants to join the program.
Beyond employment programs, HGP operates a 3.5-acre organic farm, community education programs, and social enterprises including a Community Supported Agriculture program. Over the past decade, 95% of HGP graduates have obtained employment and 88% have secured housing, the organization said.
“Having employers come out to the farm and meet our trainees is powerful,” Darrie Ganzhorn, executive director of the Homeless Garden Project, said in a statement. “They see firsthand the motivation and readiness of our participants– and that builds real confidence to hire.”
In a statement, Scott Roseman, founder of New Leaf Community Markets, said: “It’s great to employ someone who’s faced challenges, but it’s extraordinary when that person becomes an essential part of your business’s success.”.
Other local Employer Partners include The Garden Company, City of Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, Housing Matters, Janus and the Santa Cruz Warriors.
To learn more or become an Employer Partner, click here.
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