Volunteers give a glow-up to garden beds at PEP Housing’s Don Bennett Senior Apartments on May 29, 2025. 
Volunteers give a glow-up to garden beds at PEP Housing’s Don Bennett Senior Apartments on May 29, 2025. 
Fresh soil from local supplier Grab N’ Grow fill garden beds at Don Bennett Senior Apartments.
As part of our Intergenerational Gardening Program, Petaluma Bounty partnered with PEP Housing to update the garden infrastructure at the Don Bennett Senior Apartments. With the help from a tenacious group of volunteers from Amica Mutual Insurance and local yocal, Dusty Resnick, we were able to rehome the existing perennial plants, refill the garden beds, and will install updated irrigation soon!
Support from volunteers and the Intergenerational Gardening Initiative
The volunteers worked hard during the hottest part of the recent heat wave. They were released an hour early when reinforcements were offered by volunteers from La Tercera Park, home of another local community garden that recently benefited from a reconstruction led by Petaluma Bounty and Girls Garage.
Members of La Tercera Community Garden finished the job of filling the Don Bennett site’s garden beds and new wine barrel planters with soil purchased from Grab N’ Grow. The purchases were made possible thanks to funds from the Intergenerational Gardening Initiative by the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging.
A network of community gardens
It is our hope to plant the seeds and facilitate a network of community gardens that provide each other mutual support, shared expertise, and the opportunity to keep gardening regardless of physical limitations or infrastructure deficits. It is our desire to not just start more gardens, but to create the social and programmatic infrastructure to sustain gardens into the future.
Before embarking on additional garden projects, we hope to conduct an asset inventory and needs assessment of existing gardens in our community. If you or someone you know has technical knowledge, materials, or enthusiasm, reach out by emailing CommunityGardens@PetalumaBounty.org.
Happy gardening!
I am the Property Manager for Lindberg Apts, PEP Housing. I worked with Suzi to renew our gardens. Our gardens were so old and hadn’t had attention for a long time. The soil had sunk very low, and it was hard for the seniors to bend down to plant. Suzi was such pleasure to work with. She organized all the details with such professionalism. It was Spring and I knew Petaluma Bounty was extremely busy, yet she took the time to explain the process and even came down and we walked the gardens while she gave me some good ideas. Unfortunately, when it came time for them to come in and do the job, I was on vacation!! I really wanted to be there. When I returned, I was amazed!! The gardens were so beautiful! I talked to the tenants who told me all about their hard work those two days, especially since the weather was very hot. Everyone is busy now planting. Last year there were about three people using the garden. Now I hear talk and excitement in everyone’s voice. Thank you so much, Suzi and all the volunteers. This was such a generous contribution to our seniors. We are all very grateful to Petaluma Bounty.