People are like plants. They start out small with hard, outer shells. As they mature, they emerge from their cocoons and reach for the skies, growing up to be magnificent, unique individuals. However, people can’t grow in isolation. Instead, they are interdependent and rely on diversity to thrive. 

Elizabeth Dry is a firm believer in this ideology. Since she was a child playing in her father’s garden, Dry has always been fond of gardening. Today, she is the founder of the Promise of Peace Community Garden located in Little Forest Hills in East Dallas. Promise of Peace is a non-profit which strives to increase healthy lifestyles via healthy dieting and community engagement. 

Over the course of her life, both in her schooling days at Woodrow Wilson and her current teaching position at Alex Sanger Elementary School, Dry “saw a tremendous disconnect between socio-economic groups and neighborhoods, and a lack of access for underprivileged children. They were always the ones that were slipping though the cracks in school.”

“So,” Dry continues, “I wanted to start the garden to bring people together so they could get to know these children rather than just the stereotypes attached to them.”

Dry noticed that these children don’t have the same diets or participate in the same extracurricular activities as other children. So, she wanted to provide them with information about healthy food and community events that they may become involved in. 

“All kids have a great capacity to contribute in the community. They just don't know how, don't have the opportunity. The garden is kind of a catalyst for accessing whats right in your own backyard to provide youth with the healthy diets and extracurriculars.”

Dry’s story dates back six years ago when she saw a vacant lot on East Grand. “I knew that I could grow something there that would attract people to come and be together in that place.”

“The location on East Grand was magical,” Dry comments. Although they aren't on East Grand anymore, Dry comments that their new location is even moreso. Now, they share property with St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church where they rent the property for a whopping $1 per year. Promise of Peace just recently celebrated its one-year anniversary for its new location, hosting a dinner for volunteers and friends to enjoy. 

Since the garden is right smack in the middle of the neighborhood, it is a walking and relaxing destination for many people. “Over 50 people a day visit the garden,” be they to cultivate their plots, examine the plant life, or simply enjoy the natural beauty. 

However, the garden doesn't just serve East Dallas neighborhoods. It actually serves over ten neighborhoods in three or four different cities. Dry mentioned that a woman from Denton called earlier to rent a plot. Talk about market range! 

In addition, the garden serves children. Six of the many garden plots are used to work with children, teaching them about plant biology and offering them an interactive way to get their hands dirty and learn about their planet. 

Since January, the garden has accomplished more than expected. Over 15 different organizations along with 220 plus individual volunteers have donated their time at the garden. In spring, the Promise of Peace Garden harvested over 800 pounds of produce, fed over 400 community members fresh, organic foods, provided programming for 376 kids and empowered over 800 folks with horticultural and gardening knowledge. All is looking good!

Over the next few months, Dry will shift her focus to a new program called Quest for Quality. “We are going to focus on the youth of Dallas County who have made a poor choice, but who express a desire to turn their lives around. We are going to give them access to garden-to-table concepts, culinary-related professions, mentors and a lot of social leadership skills.”

Dry and her coworkers are raising awareness and money for their new program at an evening dinner on Sunday, July 27th. Four of the children will be present at this event. If you would like to purchase tickets to attend, please click here. 

Although Dry has enough on her plate as is, she will continue her work at Alex Sanger Elementary during the school year. In addition, she will host an after school garden club and a teacher professional development course. “Teachers find it difficult to integrate math and science with the garden, so we will be conducting some garden-to-table garden curriculum. Garden-integrated learning is a great way to reach learners and change their diets.”

Her life’s motto has rung true through her work in the garden insofar as “little actions yield big impacts.” The Promise of Peace Garden is in itself a seed, growing bigger as each day passes with the help of the community. If you would like to volunteer at the garden, please visit their website at http://promiseofpeace.us/get-involved/.