A Letter from Our Interim Executive Director
At DUG, we believe that when you invite people to grow together, resilience takes root. This past year put that belief to the test. At the start of 2025, DUG lost more than one million dollars in federal funding. Even so, with the strength and commitment of our community, we were resilient.
2025 marked DUG’s 40th anniversary as a nonprofit, and our gardens continue to be places where genuine connections happen. They are spaces where neighbors meet, cultures and languages are shared, and people find a sense of belonging. At a time when loneliness is increasingly recognized as a public health crisis, our gardens and food forests offer something simple and powerful: a place to show up, get your hands in the soil, and be part of something. Together, we are helping reshape the local food system, expanding access to fresh, healthy food, and creating climate-resilient neighborhoods. Our gardens and food forests capture rainwater, cool urban spaces, and provide critical habitat for pollinators, small but powerful actions that add up to lasting impact.
As we look to 2026, our focus is on sustaining ourselves, our land, our communities, and DUG as an organization. This work has always been built by the people who care about it. We’re deeply grateful for everyone who has been part of DUG over the past 40 years, and truly look forward to continuing our mission by providing the skills, access, and resources to grow healthy food in the community and regenerate urban green spaces.
Be well,
Nessa Mogharreban
Interim Executive Director
