The Garden of Hope at Good Samaritan Hospital

About The Garden of Hope

The Garden of Hope is a 10K sq. ft. therapeutic growing space, nestled on the campus of Good Samaritan Hospital. This newly renovated garden is filled with a wide variety of flowers, herbs & vegetables, creating an environment that lends itself to the multi-sensory experience & key to revealing the therapeutic benefits of horticulture. Within this space, horticultural therapy and garden education programs are offered to community groups, patients and staff members. Our program facilitator is trained in customizing nature & plant engagement experience to meet the needs and goals of program participants. The garden is overseen by our garden projects coordinator & maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers.

The Garden Ministry’s mission has food production as a primary goal. However, woven into this mission is to also provide participants with the opportunity discover the benefits inherent in the “people-plant relationship.” With this in mind, programs are purposefully designed to incorporate therapeutic engagement opportunities within the process of nurturing and cultivating plants. Documented research indicates that exposure and engagement in “green spaces” decreases blood pressure, increases oxygenation, reduces feelings of depression, stress and anxiety, increases empowerment and self-esteem, improves cognition and increases the capacity to attend to task. The Garden of Hope is also host to the monthly “Taste of Hope” cooking demonstration series which focuses on “no-cook” recipes that feature seasonally fresh produce and simple preparation methods. The demonstration series is open to the public. More information can be found on the flyer below.