A new leasing opportunity for land in Lompoc will help provide meals to homeless shelters throughout Santa Barbara County.
Officials with the county, City of Lompoc, Good Samaritan Shelter and more were in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning for the Bridgehouse Farm Project, which is located at 2025 Sweeney Road.
While the land is owned by the county, the Balay Ko Foundation is helping funding the farm.
The shelter’s executive director, Sylvia Barnard, says the farm should be able to provide produce for meals at all of its shelters throughout Santa Barbara County, which have a total of 800 beds.
"I think that this is a unique opportunity to have a partnership between the county and the city and the Balay Ko Foundation, a private foundation and a nonprofit. And I'm hoping that we will be very successful at this program and that we can inspire others to do the same," Barnard said.
The farm, which is already producing food, is part one of a three-stage homeless project. Part two includes culinary training programs and part three with a food truck for the county.
The Good Samaritan Shelter provides people a place to stay for up to 90 days why they work to find alternative housing.
