Thanks to Katelyn, a resident of CHD’s Two Rivers residential recovery program for women in Greenfield, and people in the community—as well as fellow Two Rivers clients—the grounds of the 25-bed facility are lush with an array of garden plants.

Two Rivers now features multiple beds full of perennials, hostas, and other assorted native plants that were donated by local residents. Clients are developing their own green thumbs as a result of this ambitious project, which also helped provide a therapeutic path to Katelyn’s recovery.

The effort began when Katelyn made a social media post asking for help getting gardening supplies donated to Two Rivers. “I had no idea if people would respond to my request on the Everything Greenfield and Everything Turner’s Falls groups on Facebook,” she said. “I offered to come dig out or pick up any extra or unwanted plants that local residents had on hand, in order to transplant them to the gardens at Two Rivers—and the results were astounding.”

Katelyn spent two weekends going around to Greenfield, Turner’s Falls, and Bernardston homes, meeting members of the community who all had their own connections to the world of recovery. “Everyone had a story of a loved one in their life that was impacted by addiction, and they all were extremely generous with their donations,” she said. Katelyn picked up supplies, including pots, bulbs, seeds, starter plants, and tools, as well as several full boxes of perennial plants and dozens of hostas that people had prepared for her.

One of the most memorable moments for Katelyn was when she went to a Greenfield home to help an elderly couple who wanted to donate three very mature yucca plants to Two Rivers. “Unfortunately, they were still in the ground, and the couple was unable to remove them on their own due to their deep and strong root structure,” she said. Katelyn spent over an hour with them, working side-by-side, digging up the plants to bring them back to Two Rivers. “The couple had wanted those plants gone for a long time, but they had no way to get them up alone and did not want to throw them away,” she said. “Everyone walked away from the exchange thrilled with the results, and sweaty from hard work.”

In addition to the outdoor plants, several community members offered indoor plants and cuttings for the residents to have in their rooms or to propagate into full-size plants. These project plants now sit in windowsills throughout the facility, getting regular care, while they grow into their full potential. “Many residents have their own individual plants to maintain in their rooms, which enhances their quality of life and gives them a project to work on,” said Katelyn.

The outpouring of support from the community spurred the development of the Two Rivers Gardening Club, a group that meets on Monday afternoons to maintain the grounds and discuss upcoming projects. In addition to the donations, Two Rivers purchased a raised bed for growing vegetables and herbs (pictured), and the residents also repurposed a 20-foot section of wooden fencing to use for a large planter.

The clients are looking forward to harvesting flowers, vegetables, and herbs, and to maintaining the indoor plants on a year-round basis. “Walking onto the grounds gives residents much more than just a reason to go outside for some fresh air,” she said. “It’s a visual representation of the results of hours of hard work and labor, and the beautiful greenery has created a calming and safe sanctuary space for everyone who works and lives there to enjoy.”