Micro-Farm in Downtown Los Angeles: A Personal Perspective by Meghan Nealon

At Immaculate Conception School, 7th- and 8th-grade students, who have worked with GrowingGreat for three years due to the generosity of the Steinmetz Foundation, have grown into capable leaders who help keep the school’s micro-farm running smoothly. I started working with students in 2021 and lived in the school’s Pico Union neighborhood my first four years in LA. As such, both the neighborhood and students hold a dear place in my heart. There is something so special about watching young people transform plots of sandy soil and broken concrete into a space for reflection, exploration and food. Their hard work has invited not only new plant life, but also birds, insects, butterflies and lizards to make their homes in the school’s mini urban oasis.