The Dwayne Cooper Garden of Hope is an urban farm, community vegetable garden and sunflower garden in the Hill District community. The site is a platform for education and training programs, farmer’s market space, and community events. The location of this site is the former Francis Court public housing community (intersection of Bedford Avenue & Francis Street) owned by the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh.

For GTECH, this project combined our  vacant land expertise and commitment to workforce development. In 2010, the Garden employed 2 adults and 5 youth and engaged dozens of community members through two community events in the early summer and late fall. During the 2011 growing season, over 300 pounds of fresh produce that was donated to local community. In 2011, the size of the farm increased and incorporated a more formal workforce development program.

The garden in full swing - 2011

Prepping the site with Hill residents - 2010

Frames are finished and are now ready for soil - 2010

Community garden bed construction - 2010

Community garden bed construction - 2010

Community Garden - 2011

Carpenters Union after constructing a pavilion and shed - 2011

Biofuel seeds in bloom - 2010

Harvest Event 2010

Harvest Event 2010

Harvest Event - 2011

Harvest Event - 2011

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Press

Farming and the Hill District go great together, thanks to McAuley Ministries POP City | May 25, 2011

The Hill District recently broke ground for its first grocery store in more than a decade, but this summer residents of City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority properties on the Hill — and local seniors and other Hill residents — can enjoy fresh produce from the Garden of Hope Farm Stand… [read more]

Support Funding

This project was funded by McAuley Ministries.

Special Thanks

Special thanks go to the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Grow Pittsburgh, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the Ujamaa Collective for their various roles in this project.