Since 2006, the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County has hosted an annual awards ceremony honoring the people and organizations that are doing the most to improve the lives of local residents with disabilities.

This year, that role is expanding from handing out awards to directly contributing to the movement it calls SLO Access for All.

Its first-ever Access for All grant went to City Farm SLO, which received $5,000 to install wheelchair-accessible pathways, raised garden beds, and other upgrades to improve accessibility.

On Nov. 3, nonprofit leaders convened at the 19-acre city-owned farm, located near Los Osos Valley Road and Highway 101, to hold a ceremonial "groundbreaking."

"A 'Garden for All' is so aligned with our values and mission," said Alysia Krupsky, a program associate with the Community Foundation. "It was a very easy project to get behind."

City Farm SLO already offers a therapeutic horticulture program that helps children and young adults with disabilities build "critical life skills through farm-based activities," according to its website.

During the 2021-22 school year, the program served 852 students across 2,159 instructional hours—but City Farm emphasized that "currently, much of our farm is inaccessible to students with disabilities."

That's where the Garden for All project comes in.

"The Garden for All will increase access with a decomposed granite foundation and pathways; raised beds at varying heights, including full wheelchair access; shade structures; a mobile classroom and cooking cart; and sensory gardens," the nonprofit's website states.

Krupsky told New Times that City Farm's commitment to accessibility and its ability to execute its vision made it an ideal choice for the Community Foundation's inaugural grant.

"The staff at the farm recognized specific needs, and they were able to come to us with very specific ideas for how to improve their program and steps to achieve that," Krupsky said.

The improvements will enable all City Farm visitors to "dig, plant, and harvest," Krupsky said.

"It's all hands-on activities. It's team building. It's critical life skills," she said.

According to Krupsky, the idea to establish a special accessibility grant program at the Community Foundation came directly from the man who launched the awards ceremony 15 years ago: Paul Wolff, professor emeritus in the Cal Poly Architecture Department.

"It was Wolff's idea himself during one of our committee meetings. At one point he asked, 'Could we be doing more with this money?' And we were like, 'Yeah!'" Krupsky recounted. "And then it took a big effort on the part of the committee and Community Foundation to look at the fund statements, researching local, statewide, and national themes in terms of needs in the disability community, to create a set of focuses."

That set of focuses will help guide future grants, which will be awarded annually each fall. The Community Foundation landed on four focuses for the program: advancing access to health and wellness; expanding capacity for housing and home access; creating and supporting community participation and inclusion; and promoting accessible workspaces and growing employment opportunities.

"We want to make a broad impact," Krupsky said.

To donate to the Community Foundation's SLO Access for All program, visit sloaccessforall.org. Locals can also donate directly to City Farm's accessibility project by visiting cityfarmslo.org/a-garden-for-all.

Fast fact

• The SLO County Public Health Department is hosting a series of free vaccine clinics for residents to get their COVID-19 bivalent boosters and flu shots. Clinics will be held on Nov. 14 at the Grover Beach Public Health Clinic—286 S. 16th St., building A—from 2 to 6 p.m.; and Nov. 16 at Templeton Vineyard Elementary School from 1 to 5 p.m. No appointments or insurance are necessary. Δ

Assistant Editor Peter Johnson wrote this week's Strokes and Plugs. Send tidbits to [email protected].