Growing Good: Lifespan Local’s New Food Share Program
A new program is taking root—one that blends food access, education, and sustainability together under the grow light. Lifespan Local’s hydroponic farm onsite at Blossom House is piloting a food share program that aims to nourish both the neighborhood and the systems that support it.
“The primary goals of the hydroponics program have always been education and donation,” says farm manager Izzy Becker-Uncapher. Each week, fresh produce—basil, green onions, bok choy, lettuce, and cilantro—is grown and harvested for distribution to 80 to 140 families through Lifespan’s family & friends food network. Alongside these efforts, the farm also hosts volunteer work days, gardening workshops, and educational classes that teach kids and adults how to grow food using hydroponic systems.
Volunteer Work Days
Gardening Workshops
Educational Classes
The food share program is a new branch of this work, offering community members the option to purchase a weekly box of six fresh items—roughly equivalent in cost to shopping at a local grocery store—with 100 percent of the proceeds going back into farm operations so Lifespan can continue growing fresh food for the Westwood neighborhood. “It’s affordably priced to ensure access, and any revenue helps us sustain the donation and education work,” Becker-Uncapher explains.
The program is intentionally designed to be accessible to any community members who want to participate. “It’s there if they need it, and every bit of support helps stabilize the farm’s operations so we’re not fully reliant on donors,” Becker-Uncapher notes.
Pickups take place every Wednesday at Blossom House, where visitors find themselves moving through a vibrant hub of activity—kids’ camps, cooking classes, and counseling sessions are often happening under the same roof. Becker-Uncapher hopes the food share will continue to grow alongside other community programming, eventually supporting up to 30 participants.
For Becker-Uncapher, the project is about more than fresh produce. “Gardening helps heal the hole in the human heart,” he says. “It builds mental wellness, brings people together, and reconnects us to where our food comes from.”
