Newsroom

We’re Thrilled to Announce Our New Executive Director!

2025 is set to be a year of new beginnings at WCG! From completing the City Farm infrastructure to working with community stakeholders to develop our upcoming Small Farm Incubator initiative, there’s so much to look forward to over the next few months. In the final months of 2024, our Board and staff worked together to ensure the intentional, collaborative, and equitable process of selecting a new Executive Director. It is with great excitement that we share that the Board has selected Katie Dwyer as the next Executive Director of Wasatch Community Gardens!

Katie’s name may already be familiar to many of you, as she’s been an employee of WCG since 2020, and a community gardener even longer. Over the past five years, as Marketing & Communications Director and most recently as the Department Director of External Relations, Katie has consistently demonstrated a level of dedication and passion that has been nothing short of inspiring.

Katie’s deep understanding of our mission, commitment to equitable programming, and ability to keep us aligned with both organizational goals and community needs make her a perfect fit for the role in this next chapter. Katie will officially begin her role as Executive Director on March 1, 2025. Georgina and Katie are working closely with the board to ensure a smooth transition into the position for our staff and community. 

Message from Incoming Executive Director Katie Dwyer

"My first steps into WCG’s 4th East Community Garden told me this nonprofit was special: the peace of the garden, nestled on a bustling city street; the astonishing array of fruits, veggies and flowers to nourish body and mind; the diversity of life, from insects to birds to my fellow gardeners themselves. A then-recent transplant to Salt Lake City from Chicago, I found the community connection in the garden that I so craved. Eight years later, moments of connection in the garden continue to be among my greatest joys. I see this same joy play out on the daily through my work at WCG, and I am so very delighted to step into the Executive Director role.

What an honor it is to serve this organization that I and we hold so dear, and one that has been beloved by the greater Salt Lake community for 35 years running. I am excited to get to know you, to hear a bit about your personal connections to WCG and our mission, and to walk alongside our staff, our Board, and our vibrant community in pursuit of healthy food access for all. I can’t wait to see you in the gardens!"

Katie Dwyer
Incoming Executive Director

Every Kid Outdoors Harvest Challenge Event

Welcome to the EKO Harvest Challenge Event! Join us at Wasatch Community Gardens for a day of fun and excitement. This in-person event will bring together gardeners of all levels to explore the garden, harvest vegetables straight from the soil, and then create a delicious snack together. Don't miss out on this opportunity to celebrate the harvest season with us.

Make sure to wear comfortable clothes that can get dirty and wet. Please bring sunscreen and water to the event. It is a garden, so please let us know if you have a bee allergy or food allergy.

There is street parking on 800 South and S 600 East, or park at Liberty Park and walk over. If you need accessible parking, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you can't make this event time work, we have a second event next week on September 17th.

September 10th - REGISTER HERE

September 17th - REGISTER HERE

Wasatch Community Gardens has applied for $40,000 in federal funding through Salt Lake City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to support our farm-based Green Team Job Training Program for women facing or experiencing homelessness. The program takes place at WCG’s new City Farm on 1300 South, in the Glendale neighborhood.

The program provides paid employment, work readiness training, job placement and continuing education assistance, mentoring, and support for women facing/experiencing homelessness at WCG’s urban farm. The program and farm also serve as critical resources for addressing food insecurity in Salt Lake City.

Help us secure these funds by writing to the Salt Lake City Council! Tell the Council how important this program - and its impacts on addressing homelessness and food insecurity in Salt Lake City - is to you! If you live in Salt Lake City, find your representatives here. Sample email text can be found below.

Your voice - and a chorus of many WCG voices - is what we need to help us advocate for this important program funding! Public comment ends April 14.

Thank you for your dedication to WCG’s mission and vision!

Sample Email Text:

Subject: Support for Wasatch Community Gardens’ CDBG Funding Request

Dear Salt Lake City Council,My name is [Your Name], and I’m your constituent living in [Your Address or Town] (if applicable). I’m writing to request your support for Wasatch Community Gardens’ (WCG’s) application for $40,000 in CDBG funds to support its farm-based Green Team Job Training Program for women facing or experiencing homelessness. This program provides paid employment, job training, and mentorship at WCG’s new City Farm on 1300 South, helping participants secure stable housing and jobs. Green Team members are challenged to learn, grow, and rediscover their strengths, even as they navigate difficult circumstances. A key part of the program’s success is WCG’s onsite Case Manager, who maintains a realistic caseload to support Green Team members while also assisting overworked shelter and outreach case managers. Over 100 Green Team graduates have transitioned to independent living, with 80% securing housing and employment within six months. 

The impact of this program extends far beyond individual participants. Green Team members play a critical role in ensuring thousands of individuals and families have access to fresh, nutritious food. All produce grown at City Farm is donated to low-income community members through WCG’s partner organizations, distributing $100,000 worth of healthy food annually. In any given year, more than 40% of the Utah population served in shelters has received food grown by the Green Team at WCG’s farm.

With 12% of Utahns experiencing food insecurity and grocery prices rising, sustainable, local food sources are more critical than ever. WCG is the only broad-scale, garden-to-mouth nonprofit in Salt Lake City, providing growing space, food education, and distribution to shelters and community partners. Without CDBG support, Salt Lake City compromises this vital resource that not only feeds our community but also helps women reclaim stability in their lives. 

Please prioritize WCG’s Green Team Job Training Program for CDBG funding.

Thank you,

(Your name)

Honoring The Green Urban Lunch Box

Our longtime nonprofit partner in the urban agriculture space—The Green Urban Lunch Box (GULB)—has announced its dissolution. WCG and GULB worked side-by-side on fruit tree harvests and urban farmer training, all in the name of building food access and resilience in our community. We are deeply grateful for GULB’s impact and for the spirit of collaboration they brought to this work.

GULB’s Small Farmer Initiative, a small farmer training program, was conducted on a three-acre site in South Salt Lake, on a parcel owned by Salt Lake County. Together with GULB and the County, we have collectively worked to transfer the lease and stewardship of this space to WCG, ensuring that it remains dedicated to agriculture and community use. 

Launching in 2026: WCG’s Farm Incubator Program

In 2026, this site will carry forward the legacy of The Green Urban Lunch Box as the home of Wasatch Community Gardens’ new Farm Incubator Program. 

Through focus groups and research conducted in partnership with local growers and small farmers last winter, we have learned that barriers like limited access to affordable land, hands-on experience, and practical education prevent many aspiring farmers from getting started and sustaining a livelihood in agriculture. This program will address those gaps by offering farmers the chance to steward parcels of land, build skills, and contribute to a stronger local food system.

Exploring a New Home for GULB’s FruitShare and Back-Farms Programs

The University of Utah School of Environment, Society, and Sustainability is exploring ways to sustain GULB's beloved fruit gleaning operations and the Back-Farms gardening program. If you are interested in participating in these programs, either as a volunteer or homeowner, please complete this survey. The survey will close on October 15th, 2025.