The LIFTT Community Garden welcomes all to join in growing plants and growing community! (LIFTT Photo)
Dear Neighbor,
You may not know me yet.
You may have driven past me. You may have heard someone mention me. You may have seen a tomato plant growing quietly in the Montana sun and never realized that I am here.
But I know something about you.
I know that, like every seed planted in the soil, you carry possibilities within you.
This spring, my gates opened once again.
Nineteen people gathered for the Community Garden Kickoff. Some came to learn. Some came to plant. Some came to reconnect with friends. Some simply came because they were curious. Together, they shared ideas, questions, stories, and hopes for the season ahead.
Two gardeners planted their plots that very day. Others left carrying free tomato and pepper plants, gifts made possible through the generosity of our friends and supporters.
What happened may have looked like a gardening event.
But I know better.
Because gardens are never only about vegetables.
They are about patience.
They are about second chances.
They are about believing that something beautiful can emerge from a tiny seed buried in the darkness.
Every season, I witness remarkable things.
I watch strangers become friends.
I watch confidence grow alongside cucumbers and peppers.
I watch people discover that they are capable of more than they imagined.
I watch neighbors share knowledge, encouragement, and harvests.
And I watch barriers slowly give way to belonging.
At LIFTT’s ADA-accessible Community Garden, everyone is welcome.
Experienced gardeners.
First-time gardeners.
Young people.
Older adults.
People with disabilities.
People without disabilities.
People who know exactly what they are doing.
And people who simply want to learn.
Last year, more than one hundred participants helped transform this space into a living community. This year, we hope even more people will discover what can happen when we grow something together.
Along the way, we would like to express our gratitude.
Thank you to San Diego Seed Company, whose generous donation of seeds helped launch countless stories of growth, nourishment, and connection. Their gift continues to bear fruit far beyond what can be measured in pounds of produce.
Thank you also to Garrett Mills, Chair of LIFTT’s Board of Directors. Garrett has spent countless hours nurturing seedlings, preparing plants, teaching others, answering questions, and sharing his knowledge. But those who know Garrett understand that he grows more than gardens.
He grows confidence.
He grows community.
He grows opportunities for people to learn, belong, and thrive.
Like any good gardener, he understands that growth begins beneath the surface, often long before anyone else can see it.
As summer unfolds, I invite you to visit.
Come plant.
Come learn.
Come ask questions.
Come share stories.
Come discover that gardening is not only about what grows in the soil.
It is also about what grows within us.
I will be here all season.
Waiting patiently.
Growing quietly.
And saving a place for you.
Sincerely,
The LIFTT Community Garden
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs, services, resources and advocacy that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple device.
Our Vision: Empowering aging individuals and people with disabilities to LIFTT themselves above the barriers of life.
Our Mission: Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow’s (LIFTT’s) mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving Southeastern Montana is to empower aging individuals and people with disabilities to live independently through education, support, and opportunities.