Our Daily Bread Community Outreach Services Self–Sustainability Program:

Self-sustainability is a quality of one's independence; and consequently, survivability applies to the future maintainability of one's self-sustainability and indeed one's existence. Self-sustainability guarantees a higher degree of survivability.

In the State of Arizona the poverty rate is raising more and more every day. This means more and more people are becoming unemployed and their livelihood is at risk. ODBCOS believes that they can educate members of the community about self-sustainability through its Community Garden (CG) program. The CG teaches leadership, communication, planning, budgeting, procurement, accountability, evaluation and free enterprise.

Through gardening, children and their families from the community learn valuable leadership and communication skills. They do so by leading a project team in the planning and construction of a garden. The community receives instruction in project planning, budgeting, and procurement. In addition, GREEN technology is emphasized as key design and construction components of the CG. The process provides direction in money management and how to be good stewards of the environment.

ODBCOS provides life coaching, mentoring, and accountability through garden maintenance and harvest evaluation. High school students assist ODBCOS through an afterschool mentoring and leadership program that is strategically aligned with the overall CG process; members of the community soon learn how the vegetables and fruits from the garden can be turned into free enterprise. Ultimately, a person learns how to provide food and / or income for themselves and achieve self-sustainability.

CG phases:

• Planning and budgeting techniques
• Procurement concepts
• Project Management thru design / build construction using GREEN technology concepts
• Maintenance (accountability)
• Evaluation and statistics thru harvest evaluation
• Free enterprise (entrepreneurship)

Afterschool program:

• Students from the local High School Jobs for Arizona Graduates (JAG) program contribute to the CG program through strategic partnerships that aligns with the ODBCOS Community Garden mentoring, leadership and accountability aspects.
• High School JAG students help to establish a legacy of mentoring, leadership, and accountability for succession of the CG as it relates to present and future instruction of self-sustainability.