the compassion garden

Seeding a Vision

We began 2023 with a vision: to nurture the existing garden on the sanctuary property and turn it into a thriving community space and teaching garden. Ultimately, we wanted to extend our meaning and practice of sanctuary so that it went beyond just the animal sanctuary aspect, and included the garden as a place of safety and wellbeing for visitors, pollinators, and everyone for whom these plants nourish beyond just the property.

Well, that vision has come to fruition! We are so delighted to be working with nature educator, gardening pro, and longtime vegan Tracy Thatcher, who is bringing to life the Compassion Garden program. She’s been rehabbing the garden and planting crops, but pretty soon she will be doing what she loves most: leading immersive field trips and teaching about healthy edible plants, foraging, and permaculture skills to young students. If you want to see what Tracy’s up to in the garden, check out her Facebook page.

Growing Compassion, Tending to Community

Student Field Trips & Youth Education

Our field trips with students aged 5-18 connect youth to the source of where delicious, nourishing food grows, from soil to harvest. Children are encouraged to come with their awe, endless curiosity, and trepidation—we encourage them to try out something new, whether it’s putting their hands in rich soil for the first time, learning to respect a tiny critter, walking about the property foraging for native edible weeds or willow branches for weaving, or immerse themselves in the sensation of eating a freshly-plucked cherry tomato and basil leaf. With a volunteering component woven in to many field trips, hands-on work such as sowing seeds, pulling weeds, laying mulch, and propagation teaches students that their contributions and teamwork are meaningful. Students can go home with easy recipes under their belt or a plant cutting they can tend to, taking the garden magic back to their families! Restoring our vital connection to Mother Earth is an imperative in today’s world, and we are deeply honored to be able offer that to students from across the Bay Area at no cost.

Classes & Workshops

We will begin to host guest teachers for workshops where community members can learn all about tending to the soil, growing food, composting, foraging, permaculture, native landscapes, and more. All classes will include scholarship and NOTAFLOF (No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds) options, but ticket prices will support our ability to pay our instructors and keep the garden growing!

Sharing the Abundance

The Compassion Garden is a practice in resource distribution, reparations for land, people, and the other-than-human people, and mutual aid. This abundant land nourishes us, allowing us to nourish others. Our eventual goal is to provide free food to people who don’t have access to fresh produce. We will begin exploring options and collaborations in 2024, once our program gets its legs! We are going to need volunteers to make sure the garden is truly a community hub—so get in touch with us today (info@ranchocompasion.org) if you want to be a part of this nourishing program!

Wishlist

While Tracy has been working her magic to repurpose whatever materials she can find in the garden, around the property, and from her own personal stash, we really need new materials in working order that can last us a long time! If you would like to donate materials from your own stash, or purchase new materials from our wishlist, we would be oh-so-grateful! Our current needs are:

Supplies

Garden supplies can be picked up locally at Point Reyes Lumber or Friedman’s in Sonoma County. Also, check out our Amazon wishlist.

• wheelbarrows (one-, two-, or 4-wheeled dump carts)

• mini-shovels and trowels

• garden pitchforks

• work gloves (non-leather)

• zero-g lead-free hoses

• picnic tables

• wooden tongue depressors for making labels