For 25 years, Open Door Group’s Gardengate Horticulture Program has been proving that a garden can grow far more than vegetables.
The Kamloops program supports adults aged 17 and older living with mental health challenges or addictions by offering a hands-on environment where participants build practical skills, confidence, and meaningful connections while working in a certified organic garden and greenhouse. This summer, Gardengate is celebrating its 25th anniversary alongside another milestone, the 20th annual Gardengate Salsa Challenge.
While the Salsa Challenge has become a popular community tradition, it represents just one afternoon in a program that works all year-round to improve the lives of participants, volunteers, and the community at large.
Rather than focusing on classroom instruction, Gardengate encourages participants to learn by doing. Days are spent planting, tending and harvesting vegetables, working in the greenhouse, learning about cooking and healthy eating, volunteering in the community, and building practical skills that can carry into future employment.
“The biggest thing about it is the connection,” said Gardengate program assistant Mia Duncan. “We garden, we cook, we build a lot of skills.”
That sense of connection is what lives at the heart of the Gardengate program.
Gardengate is designed to improve mental wellness, build self-confidence, encourage physical activity, and help participants develop practical life and employment skills. Maybe more importantly, it also creates a place where people can build relationships and reduce the isolation and stigma that can often accompany mental health and addiction challenges.
“A lot of it is food security, and a place for people to connect with peers,” Duncan said. “So many people are in isolation. This gives somewhere to meet people and build relationships.”
The program’s impact reaches well beyond the garden gates.
In 2024, Gardengate harvested more than 17,000 pounds of produce while supporting 56 participants and contributing more than 5,700 volunteer hours. Since the program began 25 years ago, more than 1,500 people have participated.
Fresh produce grown at Gardengate is donated to the Kamloops Food Bank and Mount Paul Community Centre, while the Produce on Wheels initiative distributes program-grown produce bags through six community partner organizations to help improve access to fresh food for lower-income individuals. The public can also purchase freshly harvested produce during weekly sales at the Gardengate site between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.
For Duncan, the program’s welcoming atmosphere is what makes the job so exciting.
“I’ve never worked in a place that made me lose sleep because I was so happy to come to work,” she said.
The community is invited to experience Gardengate firsthand during the 20th annual Salsa Challenge on Aug. 21 at 915 Southill St.
Running from 12:30 to 3 p.m., the event features more than 10 community teams competing for People’s Choice, Team Spirit, and Chef’s Choice awards. Visitors can sample salsa, vote for their favourites, and enjoy garden tours, live music, games, prizes, a photo booth, and information booths hosted by participating organizations.
More than a friendly competition, the Salsa Challenge is an opportunity to celebrate the volunteers, participants, staff, and community partners who have helped Gardengate grow over the past quarter of a century. It is also a chance for residents to see how a simple garden has become a place where food, friendship, and community all come together to grow something pretty amazing.