Thirty years ago, Garden City Harvest put down roots in Missoula. Our 2026–2028 strategic plan reflects our commitment to strong programs, secure land, a supported team, and a financially healthy organization. We share it with you, our community, so that you know where we are headed — and how you are a part of what we grow. Missoula grown for thirty years, and growing still.

Who We Are

Mission

Garden City Harvest plants seeds and grows together to create a healthy Missoula through our neighborhood farms, school gardens, and community gardens.

Vision

We envision a connected community where everyone values and has access to healthy, local food.

Values

Everything we do is grounded in our core values: collaboration, deep rootedness in this land and place, curiosity and learning, joy and connection, and a foundation of trust and respect.

Our Approach

We believe that when people have access to land, food, and food literacy, communities become healthier, more connected, and more resilient. Garden City Harvest works at the intersection of food access, education, and community — because lasting change happens when all three work together.

This strategic plan reflects that belief. Across each of our four goal areas, we are investing in the conditions that make our mission possible: strong programs, secure land, a well-supported team, and a financially sustainable organization. When these foundations are in place, our community thrives.

How This Plan Was Built

This plan belongs to our community. Before a single goal was written, we listened:

We surveyed many in our community, including our organizational partners, CSA members, community gardeners, longtime donors, PEAS Farm alumni, and founding participants.

We also reflected inwardly, asking each member of our staff and board to reflect on our organization, and what is to come in the next three years.

We heard consistent themes: the deep sense of belonging our gardens create, the joy of growing and sharing food, the value of learning together, and excitement about Garden City Harvest's future. Those voices shaped every goal in this plan.

The plan was developed by board and staff through a Theory of Change process and approved by the Garden City Harvest Board of Directors on February 25, 2026.

Our Goals: 2026–2028

Each goal area is supported by a dedicated working group of staff and community members responsible for turning this plan into action.

Goal 1: Program Success

Our programs are responsive to our mission and to community need — focused on growing food and providing food access, education, and connections.

Over the next three years, Garden City Harvest will take a deliberate look at each of our programs and partnerships to ensure they continue to live up to our mission, vision, and values. We will celebrate what is working, strengthen what matters most, and make thoughtful adjustments where needed — so that we remain an organization that is mission-aligned, community-centered, and built to last.

Goal 2: Land Security and Infrastructure

Garden City Harvest has a useful, realistic, and actionable plan for each of its sites — addressing current and future land security and infrastructure needs.

Our farms and gardens are the heart of our work, and protecting them is essential. Our most urgent priority is ensuring the long-term future of the PEAS Farm, which holds half of our acreage and is home to several programs. Alongside that, we will complete a full inventory of infrastructure needs across all our sites and develop a prioritized, funded plan to address them — from water access to growing space to buildings.

Goal 3: Staff Care and Retention

Garden City Harvest cultivates a culture of professional growth, with an effective management structure and staff compensated fairly.

Our people are what make this mission real. Over the next three years, we will conduct a thorough review of wages, benefits, and management structure — and act on what we find. We are committed to preventing burnout, supporting professional growth, and building the kind of organizational culture where talented, mission-driven people want to stay. We will also put succession plans in place to ensure leadership continuity well into the future.

Goal 4: Financial Sustainability

Garden City Harvest develops and achieves a realistic annual budget with a surplus for reserves and investment — supported by a thriving culture of organizational development.

Sustainable impact requires sustainable funding. Over the next three years, we will diversify and deepen our funding relationships, set realistic and achievable annual income goals, and build a shared development culture across our board and leadership team. Financial sustainability is not just a budget target — it is what allows us to show up fully for our community, year after year.

A Living Plan

This strategic plan is a framework, not a finished product. Our daily work — in the fields, in the classrooms, in the gardens — continues through the lens of our mission, vision, and values. Staff and management will develop annual action plans to put these goals into motion, and our board will review progress each year.

We are grateful to everyone who shaped this plan, and excited to grow into it — together.

Inspired? Here’s how to take part:

This plan only comes to life through the people who support it. Explore the ways you can be part of the next three years — and help us grow something lasting for Missoula.

Planted Here: Garden City Harvest's Plan for 2026–2028