Students at the University of Miami are taking time to give back to their community with The Green Haven Project. Founded in 2019, The Green Haven Project is a nonprofit organization aiming to help those located in food deserts around the Miami area.
Volunteers are in the Florida heat six days a week working on the gardens and inside the cafeteria, preparing free meals to hand out to those in need.
Just outside the New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Model City Miami, a line of families, homeless, and those simply in need of a hot meal are patiently waiting for their turn for a free platter.
“I used to be outside waiting in that line too. One day they needed more volunteers, so I thought I’d come out.” Sheva Dhalia, a Green Haven volunteer, said. “I did such a good job, they wanted me to come back and I’ve been here ever since.”
Dhalia is a fraction of all the dedicated people who come together to make sure the neighborhood is fed.
But the volunteers don’t just pick apples and make deli sandwiches. They harvest crops, like papaya, cucumber, eggplant, carrots and pineapple, each week.
The fresh ingredients ensure the quality of food prepared is just as good as it is at home. Green Haven welcomes volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to get their hands dirty inside and outside the lab, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose.
“Before we began working in the garden, one of the garden keepers gave the group I was in a brief introduction and history lesson about what the entire company was about,” Laliah Richelle, a Green Haven volunteer and UM student, said. “After that, my group, and I transferred mulch that they had made on site to place throughout the garden.”
This flexibility and hospitality is why many students at the University are so willing to lend a hand or even a rock. As a symbol of gratitude, students who are part of the homecoming committee decorated stones and donated them to Green Haven to help make the community garden even more beautiful.
Students were encouraged to let their creative juices flow as they paint rocks with vibrant colors, patterns, and even messages of hope and appreciation. A small gesture for an organization with a truly big impact.