Faces of DUG

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Melia! Faces of DUGNews

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Melia!

Meet Melia, compost-lover and community advocate Tell us a little about yourself. I am passionate…

Osiris ManceraMarch 10, 2025

Fostering Community Wellbeing in Urban Spaces Faces of DUGNews

Fostering Community Wellbeing in Urban Spaces

Meet Brian, environmental steward, community builder, and knowledge seeker. Our community partner and friend, Brian…

Osiris ManceraSeptember 10, 2024

Growing a Sense of Self in the Garden Faces of DUG

Growing a Sense of Self in the Garden

Meet LT, educator, inspiring creator, and Youth Education mentee.     Recently, our Youth Education Department…

Osiris ManceraFebruary 16, 2024

Climate Action Through Trash Faces of DUG

Climate Action Through Trash

Meet Christi, Master Composter, entrepreneur, and climate activist.  Christi Turner is the founder of Scraps,…

Osiris ManceraDecember 19, 2023

Educating the Future Earth Stewards One Seed at a Time Faces of DUG

Educating the Future Earth Stewards One Seed at a Time

Meet Miss Nune, avid gardener, ECE teacher and earth steward.  Edurne Artazcoz Glaria, or Miss…

Osiris ManceraNovember 14, 2023

Reclaiming Food Sovereignty Through Gardening Faces of DUG

Reclaiming Food Sovereignty Through Gardening

Meet Jat, community gardener, high school student, and food justice advocate. Jat Martinez gardens at…

Osiris ManceraOctober 26, 2023

Building Community from the Inside Out Faces of DUG

Building Community from the Inside Out

Meet Alex, DUG Volunteer, Farming Youth Educator, and Future Urban Planner Since landing in Denver…

Osiris ManceraJune 13, 2023

Climate Action One Seed at a Time Faces of DUGNews

Climate Action One Seed at a Time

Written by Linda Appel Lipsus DUG is a Climate Organization  …among other things. Or is…

Osiris ManceraApril 20, 2023

Connecting with Nature and Building Community Faces of DUG

Connecting with Nature and Building Community

Meet Shay, Avid Rock Climber, Outdoors Enthusiast, Philosopher, and DUG's Food Access Coordinator Born and…

Osiris ManceraFebruary 16, 2023

Connecting to People and Food Faces of DUG

Connecting to People and Food

The importance of connecting to how our food is grown is never something I was…

Osiris ManceraFebruary 21, 2022

Composting with Kiddos Faces of DUG

Composting with Kiddos

My paternal grandfather loved the garden and had this remarkable green thumb. He could throw…

Osiris ManceraJanuary 11, 2022

Reflecting on Gardening and Fighting Faces of DUG

Reflecting on Gardening and Fighting

I’m a first-generation Lithuanian-American. In Lithuania, the culture is very nature-oriented. My grandmother pretty much…

Osiris ManceraNovember 3, 2021

Discovering Your ‘Why’ For Gardening Faces of DUG

Discovering Your ‘Why’ For Gardening

“I got into gardening in 2000 when I was suffering from severe clinical depression. In…

Osiris ManceraSeptember 30, 2021

Finding Mentorship (and more) in Community Faces of DUG

Finding Mentorship (and more) in Community

"Last year, my boyfriend and I lived in the Cole neighborhood and had never gardened…

Osiris ManceraAugust 25, 2021

Seeding Self-Sufficiency Faces of DUG

Seeding Self-Sufficiency

"I moved up to Denver from Arizona; I wasn't much of a gardener in Arizona,…

Osiris ManceraAugust 4, 2021

Exploring a New Career Path Faces of DUG

Exploring a New Career Path

Our longtime contractor and friend Fransisco Cordero passed away in November 2020 due to complications…

Osiris ManceraJuly 7, 2021

Leaving a Legacy of Wonder Faces of DUG

Leaving a Legacy of Wonder

“My daughter Beth introduced me to Denver Urban Gardens around 6 years ago. She’s always…

Osiris ManceraJune 2, 2021

Getting Dirty with DUG Faces of DUG

Getting Dirty with DUG

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental…

Osiris ManceraMay 3, 2021

Gardening as a family Faces of DUG

Gardening as a family

"2020 was our first year with DUG. We got approved for a no-cost To-Grow Box.…

Osiris ManceraApril 12, 2021

Growing community support in a school garden Faces of DUG

Growing community support in a school garden

“I was one of the founders of the Samuels garden in 2011, and have been…

Osiris ManceraMarch 9, 2021

Building new skills for a bright future Faces of DUG

Building new skills for a bright future

"I found out about DUG through my school, where I also work part-time. I'm majoring…

Osiris ManceraFebruary 16, 2021

Gaining (soil) security in retirement Faces of DUG

Gaining (soil) security in retirement

"I found out about DUG’s Grow a Garden program 6 years ago when I worked…

Osiris ManceraJanuary 11, 2021

Building community during COVID Faces of DUG

Building community during COVID

"I am the Garden Leader at the Cedar Hill Community Garden at Green Mountain United…

Osiris ManceraDecember 5, 2020

Teaching Resilience through Healthy Cooking Faces of DUG

Teaching Resilience through Healthy Cooking

“My students have so much going on in their lives right now. With everything they…

denverurbangardensNovember 30, 2020

Gardening for mental wellbeing Faces of DUG

Gardening for mental wellbeing

“My family had a garden growing up in southern Louisiana. I Ioved harvesting, watering, and…

denverurbangardensNovember 7, 2020

Looking back on a lifetime in the garden Faces of DUG

Looking back on a lifetime in the garden

“Although my mother wasn't an active gardener, I think that sometimes interests skip generations. I…

denverurbangardensOctober 30, 2020

Cultivating love in the garden Faces of DUG

Cultivating love in the garden

“I signed up for a community garden plot at a DUG garden before I ever…

denverurbangardensOctober 23, 2020

Building community from the ground up Faces of DUG

Building community from the ground up

“I began gardening in my backyard and fell in love with the process of watching…

denverurbangardensOctober 5, 2020

Gardening for Resilience Faces of DUG

Gardening for Resilience

“One of the biggest challenges that our community faces is food insecurity, which has only…

denverurbangardensSeptember 15, 2020

Creating a piece of home in the garden Faces of DUG

Creating a piece of home in the garden

“I am from Central Africa. I couldn’t find seeds from my country to grow. I…

denverurbangardensSeptember 4, 2020

Finding purpose in growing and sharing food Faces of DUG

Finding purpose in growing and sharing food

"I think in so many ways the Master Community Gardener program was just what I…

denverurbangardensAugust 28, 2020

Inspiring lifelong curiosity through gardening Faces of DUG

Inspiring lifelong curiosity through gardening

"My favorite part of being in the garden is being able to see the vegetables…

denverurbangardensAugust 21, 2020

Teaching the next generation about the magic of gardening Faces of DUG

Teaching the next generation about the magic of gardening

"I believe that every moment is a teaching moment. Getting the kids to see the…

denverurbangardensAugust 12, 2020

Sharing knowledge and healing in gardens Faces of DUG

Sharing knowledge and healing in gardens

“When I came back from the Peace Corps, I thought, “we are really in trouble.”…

denverurbangardensAugust 6, 2020

Finding connection with food Faces of DUG

Finding connection with food

“We lived in China for 7 years, where we met when Lily was my translator…

denverurbangardensJuly 27, 2020

Discovering friendship in the garden Faces of DUG

Discovering friendship in the garden

“It was quarantine and I wanted to take my daughter to experience the outdoors once…

denverurbangardensJuly 20, 2020

Digging deep into DUG’s roots Faces of DUG

Digging deep into DUG’s roots

Marty is a North Denver community and social justice activist and a pioneer of Denver’s…

denverurbangardensJuly 13, 2020

Gardening through a lifetime Faces of DUG

Gardening through a lifetime

"I come from Africa. I like gardening so much because my parents were farmers in…

denverurbangardensJune 22, 2020