Sharon Johnson, longtime volunteer and co-founder of Empowered Women Blossom, in the Hope Blooms garden.
July 30, 2024
In the heart of Halifax’s north end, Hope Blooms Campus is bustling with activity. Kids, teens, staff, and volunteers are tending the garden, making lunch in the kitchen, or working on plans to pitch at the end of a youth business camp.
Among them, one volunteer stands out: Sharon Johnson, who’s been involved with the organization since the very beginning.
“It’s almost like my second home,” says Johnson.
Many Nova Scotians know about (and enjoy) the Hope Blooms salad dressing sold in grocery stores and gift shops across the province. Its production is one of many agricultural and culinary programs the social enterprise runs for youth living in the neighbourhood.
Long before Hope Blooms became a household name, founder and executive director Jessie Jollymore was a dietitian with the North End Community Health Clinic. She wanted to start a youth-led community garden to get local kids involved in growing food to take home. Johnson and some other clients of Jollymore’s—also older adults—eagerly lent helping hands.
“As time went on, it showed that half of us couldn’t bend down to the ground anymore,” says Johnson with a laugh. “We said, we’ll do something else. We started to sew sacks for the kids to sell their salad dressing in.”
The volunteers formed a group called Empowered Women Blossom and have been helping where they can ever since.
“The children, they learn a lot from us. But they teach us a lot too,” says Johnson.
With help from the kids at Hope Blooms Campus, Empowered Women Blossom built their own business selling afrocentric greeting cards. They donate all proceeds to different community initiatives in the area.
“We do this because we love it. We love being here with the children,” says Johnson.
Johnson’s story sheds light on the positive impact volunteering can have on mental health, particularly for older adults who often face higher levels of social isolation. It also highlights what can be gained when community programming bridges the gap between younger and older generations.
That’s why the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia supports Hope Blooms with a Community Grant. Love Grows Here is the latest project to receive this funding and it supports the increasing number of families in the neighborhood who are new to Canada, as well as children already involved with Hope Blooms and the neighbouring Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre. Participants prepare cultural dishes, share their meals together, help host monthly community suppers, and take part in facilitated discussions about mental health.
“Our vision is to see all Nova Scotians thriving in their communities,” says Starr Cunningham, the foundation’s president and CEO. “Hope Blooms is a great example of a community initiative creating a vibrant environment where people of all ages, from all over the world, can feel a sense of purpose and connection to others—two really important pillars of mental wellbeing.”
Johnson couldn’t agree more.
“This is a place of love,” she says. “I’ve seen hurt children come in here then walk away beautiful young men and women. I’ve seen the proof of what a place like this does for children. When you start with love, that’s what you end up with. Love wins all.”