PITTSBURG, Kan. — It’s been nearly one year since Mosaic announced its plans to install new raised garden beds at their facility on 4th Street.

Today, members of the non-profit organization, which provides support and services for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, have turned into master gardeners, creating crops that have helped feed themselves along with the community.

The idea for the garden at Mosaic came about through a partnership between Mosaic, Special Olympics Kansas, and the Crawford County Local Health Equity Action Team (LHEAT). The received donations of soil from The Home Depot along with a raised bed from Tractor Supply Co. and seeds from In The Garden.

“When we lived in our other building, we kind of had a little spot and we tried to grow tomatoes and stuff out there and we thought they liked doing that,” said supervisor Dori Pipkin.

With beds situated on the front side of the Mosaic facility, members spend every day tending to the garden filled with fruits and vegetables, and even a sunflower. Produce grown in the garden by the members of Mosaic include corn, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

“We are doing pretty good this year,” said member Aubrey Cauley. “The weather has been good for us and everything.”

“It’s been great because they come every day and they tend to the garden, they water, they put some stuff on it,” added Pipkin. “... They kind of take turns coming in.”

Through its garden program, members of Mosaic use the crops for cooking classes, turning their creations into meals. The group also donates its excess to the Pittsburg Farmers Market, helping feed the community with fresh produce. Last year, the group grew a large number of tomatoes and spinach that they used to create salads and much more.

“What we love about it is the vegetables are so good in here,” said Cauley.

There are a multitude of benefits to gardening, from building self-esteem to boosting your mood to reducing stress along with numerous other physical and social benefits. During the initial announcement last year, LHEAT member Diann Gambill noted those benefits.

“The benefits are for intellectual development disability, IDD, you really don’t have a sense of the true self, so being able to put yourself into a raised bed, like gardening, you’re going to learn that autonomy,” said Gambill at the event in June 2025. “You’re going to be able to build that self-esteem. You’re going to be able to take something from a seed and grow it into something to say, ‘I made this, take it, have it, eat it, I did this on my own, it’s for you.’”

The team at Mosaic is reaping the benefits.

“I think it’s been fun for you guys to have something every day to do, to come and check up every day, and see the progress,” said Pipkin. “... We’ve kind of learned a little bit about bugs and what to put on the plants because of the bugs and they are learning a whole bunch.”

“It has been really excellent,” said Cauley. “We just love doing this. It’s almost like at home. I have a garden at home that I’m doing, and we have like cucumbers and tomatoes and bell peppers and cantaloupe and watermelon ... That’s the most fun part about it is coming in and seeing it every day and seeing our garden grow up like this and learning how to take care of it.”

For those interested in volunteering or partnering with Mosaic, visit mosaicinfo.org/locations/kansas/southeast-ks/ or email Hailey Goodrich at Hailey.Goodrich@mosaicinfo.org.

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.