This non-fiction work chronicles the hope that’s been found in North End Halifax through gardening. The Hope Blooms organization’s history and impact are chronicled in a beautifully written portrayal of community, mentorship, and team-work providing ways to overcome food insecurity, health issues, and socio-economic imbalance. 

It’s replete with photographs of the youth involved in the venture and filled to the brim with stories of hope, promise, and foundations laid for a better future. It is a tale of education, social enterprise, equipping, growth, and victory.  It’s a success story of inclusion, equality, empowerment, and social enterprise. It is a reminder that from a small seed comes a big harvest. A definite must-read – especially for Canadians and those who want to impact their youth and their community. (Bonus, the recipes included look delightful. We’ll try the jerk fish tacos one day!)

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Admirable ~ Truthful ~ Yummy
tl; dr: Description of a community garden and the fruits of their labor. 

I already knew about this initiative when I requested the ARC. I just wanted the salad dressing recipes. But, I'm glad that I decided to read the book, instead of flipping straight to the end. One of the participants in this community garden initiative mentions that gardening can be an act of disobedience. This urban farm project in Canada brought people together to feed themselves and make money from selling salad dressing. The story though is as much about community self-determination as anything else. Also, there are some of the best salad dressing recipes I've seen. 

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC and the dressing hook-up in exchange for an honest review.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not regurgitate the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it.

There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child, but Jessie Jollymore has experienced through the youth of Hope Blooms, an inner-city initiative she founded that engages at-risk youth, that sometimes it takes the children to raise the village. A dietitian who worked in inner city health for 15 years, Jollymore witnessed the challenges people face every day with food security, isolation, discrimination, and poverty. 

An idea bloomed of creating sustainable, youth-driven micro-economies: growing local food systems, growing social enterprises, and mentoring youth to become leaders of change. This led to over 50 youth ages 6 to 18 leading the way in growing over 3,000 pounds of organic produce yearly for their community, building innovative outdoor classrooms, and building a successful Fresh Herb Dressing social enterprise, with 100% of proceeds going toward growing food and scholarships for youth.

In this inspiring, vibrant book, the youth behind Hope Blooms tell the story of the social enterprise they built from the soil up, the struggles of "creating something from nothing," successfully navigating the world of business, and ultimately building resilience and leaving behind a legacy. Includes youth's words of wisdom, stories, and poetry, and over 75 colour photos.

This is an excellent book about social enterprise, community gardens and bringing healthy food to the community, a subject dear to my volunteer heart! It is well written and the photos are lovely and the kid's contribution to the book is wonderful. It is such an important read: even if your social service provider is not inner-city, this book would and could work for you!! 

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 🍏 🍅🥕 🥔🍑