The Aloha Garden Network

What TAGN Is

The Aloha Garden Network (TAGN) is a food garden initiative focused on strengthening food security through practical, site-specific garden builds.

TAGN supports families, elders, and community partner sites by helping people grow food where they live, using sustainable practices that prioritize long-term viability over quick fixes.

TAGN is intentionally small, adaptable, and relationship-based.

Why Gardens

Access to fresh food, land, and the knowledge to grow nourishment is foundational to health, dignity, and resilience.

TAGN approaches gardening not only as food production, but as an embodied, stabilizing practice that supports nervous-system regulation, confidence, and long-term well-being.

Gardens become places of nourishment, learning, and grounded connection. They support:

  • Household food resilience

  • Dignity and self-reliance

  • Connection to land and seasonal cycles

  • Reduced dependence on fragile systems

Gardens are a practical intervention that meet people where they are and continue giving over time.

What We’re Doing Now

TAGN is currently focused on:

  • Building food gardens for families and elders

  • Partnering with local organizations aligned with food access and sustainability

  • Developing a replicable model grounded in real-world conditions

    Each garden is designed case by case. Depending on the site, gardens may include raised beds, in-ground beds, or hybrid approaches.

    TAGN does not use a one-size-fits all model.

How TAGN Is Supported

TAGN is sustained through a combination of community partnerships, donations, and paid garden installations.

Paid projects help subsidize free and low-cost gardens for families who need them, allowing the program to grow sustainably while keeping access and dignity at the center of our work.

Our Approach

TAGN is guided by the following principles:

  • Trauma-informed and nervous-system aware

  • Grounded in relationship and place

  • Focused on accessibility and dignity

  • Built ethically and sustainably

We prioritize depth, care, and long-term impact over speed or scale.

Looking Ahead

TAGN is being developed with care, integrity, and scalability in mind.

As partnerships deepen, TAGN will continue to evolve in alignment with community needs, land-based wisdom, and sustainable food system practices.

Get Involved with The Aloha Garden Network

For Families

Interested in receiving a food garden?
TAGN maintains a garden interest list for families seeking support as capacity and funding allow.

join the garden interest list

For Partners + Funders

Interested in partnering with or supporting TAGN?
We work with organizations, funders, and community partners aligned with food access, healing, and land-based resilience. .

Download the tagn overview

For Custom Garden Clients

Looking for a custom food garden installation?
We offer premium, custom, food garden installations for homeowners and land stewards. Paid projects help subsidize free and low-cost gardens through TAGN.

Learn about custom garden installations

For Volunteers

Want to support garden builds or program development?
Volunteers help make TAGN’s work possible through hands-on support and community care.

volunteer with tagn

For Donors

Want to support TAGN’s mission financially?
Donations help fund materials, labor, and free gardens for families who need them.

support tagn

TAGN Interest Form

This form helps us understand how you’re interested in TAGN. Whether you’re seeking a garden, exploring partnership, interested in volunteering, or learning more about the work, this is the best place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • TAGN includes a mix of free, low-cost, and paid garden projects. Paid garden installations help subsidize free and low-cost gardens for families who need them. Availability depends on funding, capacity, and timing.

  • No. TAGN’s free gardens are prioritized for households with children and/or elders who are experiencing financial strain or food insecurity, but we don’t require you to “prove” hardship.

    Instead, we use a short honor-based request form and prioritize based on a few factors (like household size, current food access, and readiness to participate). If you’re unsure, apply anyway.

  • No. TAGN gardens are designed to be accessible and supportive for people at many experience levels. Education and guidance are part of our approach.

  • TAGN maintains a garden interest list rather than a formal application. If you’re interested in receiving a garden, you can share your interest through the TAGN contact form and we’ll follow up.

  • TAGN currently serves specific local communities and is growing slowly and intentionally. Location and capacity help determine what’s possible at any given time.

  • When we say trauma-informed, we’re referring to how we approach people and the work - not diagnosing or treating trauma.

    Trauma-informed gardens are designed and built with care for safety, agency, and dignity. This means we move at a human pace, communicate clearly, respect boundaries, and design gardens that feel manageable and supportive rather than overwhelming. We recognize that many people carry stress, loss, or past harm, and we aim to create garden spaces - and working relationships - that are stabilizing, respectful, and empowering.

    The garden itself becomes a place of nourishment and steadiness, not pressure or performance.

  • TAGN is a secular, community-based program of Rainbow Bridge Church and operates through a values-driven model that includes community support, donations, and paid services. This structure allows the work to be sustainable while centering access and dignity.

  • Yes. People support TAGN in many ways, including volunteering, partnership, and donations. The TAGN page outlines different ways to get involved.