Growing Together in Park City
With food, education and conservation at its core, Summit Community Gardens and EATS is cultivating a more connected town
Summer/Fall 2025
Written By: Ashley Brown | Images: Courtesy Summit Community Gardens and EATS
Summit Community Gardens and EATS is nestled just off Highway 224 on a vibrant, Summit County- owned parcel that is permanently shielded from development. The conservation easement is thanks to the Summit Land Conservancy and ensures the green space can thrive for generations to come.
“There’s something powerful about the land and stewarding it,” says Helen Nadel, executive director of Summit Community Gardens and EATS, as she gazes from the mountain peaks to the fertile garden soil. “We’re here now. There have been many, many, many, many generations before us.”
Cultivating land stewards and inspiring future generations through education, opportunity and connection to the land is the heart and soul of Summit Community Gardens and EATS. When the two organizations merged in 2023, the process was organic. “There was a shared mission to bring people together around food — highlighting the importance of engaging young people in healthy eating while connecting them to how food grows and where it comes from,” Helen says.
“We have several volunteer opportunities every week,” Helen says, explaining that volunteers can sign up to tend to plots, harvest or help with community events. “There are many mental health benefits that come from volunteering, gardening and being outside in nature.”
The Dinners in the Garden series, which is basically a community picnic with good food and live music, begins at the end of May and continues through August. “Dinners in the Garden series is magical, like a community picnic with some of Park City’s best chefs,” says Helen. Dinners run through August and welcome 50 to 100 people.
While touring the garden, Helen shows off the plots for the La Milpa program. “These two beds here are for a program called La Milpa, which is a partnership with Artes de México en Utah,” she explains. “People with roots in the Mesoamerican Indigenous community grow corn, beans, squash and other traditional crops using methods linked to culture, identity and sustainability.”
The garden also hosts community classes and workshops focused on growing, sustainability and wellness, and does a lot of work with local youth. “Children are less connected to where our food comes from,” Helen says. “There’s so much research about health and how gardening and cooking for kids are linked to lifelong healthy eating.”
Offerings for children include summer camps, after-school activities and in-school initiatives. “We offer a ton of school year programming,” Helen explains. “It focuses on nutrition education and provides developmentally appropriate, fun and accessible learning for kids.” In the 2023/24 school year, the organization reached 1,800 children and delivered 5,400 educational interactions in the classroom.
Summer camps and after-school programs are often held in the garden. “Kids have the opportunity to engage in supervised exploration, but it also feels free.” To ensure that all children have access to learning in the garden, there is a robust scholarship program available for summer camps and after-school programs.
And, as you might expect from a community garden, there is a group of people who rent a plot and tend to it regularly. “There’s a lot of relationship building, resource sharing and tip sharing. That is also part of our staff’s role — to share their knowledge and build community among the plot renters.”
These plot renters can also give back to the local community through the Food Farmacy program, which provides fresh produce to those experiencing food insecurity. The program, which is a collaboration between the garden, the People’s Health Clinic, and the Christian Center of Park City, is a great example of how gardening unites growers for the benefit of the community.
“We grew 1,500 pounds of food that was distributed through the Food Farmacy. Our plot renters donated an additional 500 pounds,” Helen explains. “We are a community garden, and we do a lot to give back to our community.”
The organization takes a three-pronged approach to community outreach and engagement: gather, learn and grow. Opportunities to gather in the garden are abundant. The gardens are considered public land, so people are always welcome to come and stroll the grounds.
What’s On
Mindful Meditation in the Garden
Sundays, June 1–29
Yoga in the Garden
June 7, July 12, August 2
Dinners in the Garden
June 5, 12, 26; July 10, 24; Aug. 7, 14, 28
To volunteer with Summit Community Gardens and EATS, visit their website, SummitCommunityGardens.org
