On the corner of Hermosa Vista Drive and 78th Street in Mesa, there is a local non-profit called Brilliant Planet that is in need of volunteers to help make an impact on the Arizona food system.
The founder and executive director of the non-profit is Terra Rose Ganem. She believes that volunteers should come to the property — which they call Wonderland — to “learn about nutrition, different ways to grow food, and connect with like-minded people.”
Volunteers can do a variety of activities, from planting trees, attending workshops, making crafts, teaching classes, helping set up for events, and many other opportunities. One of the volunteers, Ashley Weston, states, “I met several people and had such a good time getting to connect.”
A member of the Girl Garden Society, Sarah King, said, “I now have my own tower garden. It’s something I do with my kids and a good way to introduce different foods to them.”
Terra Rose, a 33-year-old certified nutritionist, knew what she was going to do from a very young age. “When I was three years old, my mom gave me a sunflower seed, one day it grew taller than me and that is when I realized the magic and potential just one little seed held,” she explained.
Terra Rose founded Brilliant Planet in March 2019 with the core message of teaching people that growing your own organic food can be easy and fun no matter how much space, time, or resources you have. She chose to start this organization as a non-profit so it is accessible to a wide range of people from all demographic backgrounds.
Aude Monson, an expatriate from France, said, “I have met a lot of people from various ages and backgrounds. I was also able to create a community of like-minded people. To me, it means the world.”
Brilliant Planet also supports children in foster care, those with special needs, and families that experience food insecurity. Further accessibility is made possible by a fellowship Arizona State University is offering in partnership with the Piper Trust Charitable Organization. The fellowship provides an opportunity for college-level research on the truth of Arizona’s food system and the challenges of eating healthy.
If you cannot volunteer, the non-profit also takes donations, which are used for planting orchards, buying nutrients for the soil, building infrastructure to support education, and buying materials for classes.
Ashley Weston, one of the volunteers, “donates every single month to Brilliant Planet,” said Terra Rose. Ashley’s donations are used for purchasing seeds for kids to grow. “Brilliant Planet is dedicated to reuniting people with themselves, each other, and nature to create more joy, peace, and connection in their lives,” said Terra Rose.
The donation link can be found at brilliantplanet.org, as well as shopbrilliantplanet.org. All the proceeds go to the organization.
To contact Terra Rose for more information on volunteering, you can reach her at execdirector@brillaintplanet.org, or (480) 628-8791.
Alexandra Paddy is a volunteer writer who is studying journalism at Red Mountain High School.