There’s something special about planting a seed and helping it grow. Working with your hands to build something that’s truly your own fills you with hope and optimism. And nothing compares to the feeling of pride when you provide for yourself and the people you care for.
The USANA Foundation has put an incredible amount of thought and effort into our Garden Tower Initiative. Our goal is to plant these seeds of hope across the globe—not only because they provide families and communities access to nutritious food, but because they also set individuals on a path to independence and self-care.
When you care for a garden, you care for yourself. Relaxation, accomplishment, and self-worth—take a look at these mental benefits of our Garden Towers and consider helping our initiative today.
1. Relaxation and Stress Relief
We lead hectic lives, worried about our jobs or uncertainty of the future. Many families and entire communities live in stressful, insecure situations. But growing a beautiful garden can provide a healthy escape from the burdens of your everyday routine.
Gardening provides repetitive, simple tasks to help you clear your mind and focus on the present. Surrounded by the sun and breeze, it becomes easier to relax and reflect—which can even help people sleep better and start the day with more energy and motivation.
2. Improved Mood and Optimism
Studies also show gardening can greatly improve a person’s mood in general. Planting a seed and waiting for it to grow requires a great deal of faith and hope. And knowing you were the one to help it sprout feels like a worthy accomplishment.
Optimism is essential to living a satisfying life. It helps you pick yourself up after failure and it gives you the strength to face each new day. Garden Towers help spread positivity and hope as families and communities are given a means to provide for themselves for years to come.
3. Independence and Self-Worth
Some people need a way to claim a space for themselves, especially in a world that has seemingly forgotten about them. Gardening provides a sense of independence and increases self-esteem.
When you grow your own food, you’re not as burdened by supply shortages, increasing prices, or economic instability. And experiencing the direct benefits of hard work is extremely empowering—it can make anyone proud of even the smallest things they offer.
4. Community Engagement and Connection
Many hands don’t just make light work, they make connections while working. Gardens benefit the communities around them, and as a result they often become places of gathering and cooperation. This interaction helps people receive aid, seek out and meet the needs of others, learn new things, and feel like a part of something greater than themselves.
That’s why we’ve planted so many Garden Towers at schools, missions, or central locations. And we’ve witnessed these communities grow together as they grow nutritious food.
5. Body and Mind Health
Staying busy and active in a garden keeps your brain active too. Recent studies have even revealed gardening can lower the risk or symptoms of some neurological illnesses.
Gardening comes with a bushel of health benefits for both the body and mind. And healthier people tend to be happier. It’s really that simple—our moods and mental health are deeply intertwined with our nutrition. And USANA’s Garden Towers provide access to healthy food that can change whole families and communities for the better.
A small donation of $20 provides a family with a USANA Garden Tower and everything they need to grow sustainable food for years to come. Give a Garden Tower today and set someone on the path to independence and self-care.
