Our History
Almost Eden was started in 1998 by Bob Segbarth and a staff member at Urban Ministries in Palo Alto.
Originally, unhoused and low-income individuals were paid to help
at the garden through a grant secured by Urban Ministries.
When funding ran dry, Bob worked as a volunteer to keep the garden,
then located on the corner of East Meadow Drive and Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, going strong.
Pamela Chesavage joined Bob in the garden during the summer of 2003
and went on to manage the garden from 2004-present.
In 2014, Almost Eden re-located to "the back 40" of a property belonging to
St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, and in the summer of 2024, our volunteers helped install an additional 1100 sq ft of garden beds to the side of the church (where a large lawn used to be).
We continue to grow! :)
Originally, unhoused and low-income individuals were paid to help
at the garden through a grant secured by Urban Ministries.
When funding ran dry, Bob worked as a volunteer to keep the garden,
then located on the corner of East Meadow Drive and Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, going strong.
Pamela Chesavage joined Bob in the garden during the summer of 2003
and went on to manage the garden from 2004-present.
In 2014, Almost Eden re-located to "the back 40" of a property belonging to
St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, and in the summer of 2024, our volunteers helped install an additional 1100 sq ft of garden beds to the side of the church (where a large lawn used to be).
We continue to grow! :)