If you’ve walked past a once-vacant lot now filled with garden beds and neighbors working side by side, you’ve likely seen Toledo GROWs at work.
As the nonprofit enters a new chapter, Toledo GROWs is asking the community to help ensure those spaces continue to thrive. After over a decade of service, former Executive
Director Yvonne Dubielak has retired, and the organization is honoring her legacy with a campaign focused not on the past, but on long-term impact.
At the center of that effort is the Toledo GROWs Mission Endowment, with a year-end fundraising goal of $12,500—a figure chosen to reflect Dubielak’s 12.5 years of leadership. The endowment is designed to provide financial stability so Toledo GROWs can continue supporting community gardens, education programs, and neighborhood revitalization well into the future.
That stability matters because Toledo GROWs does far more than simply help gardens get started. Founded in 1995 with just three community gardens, the organiza- tion has grown into a leader in urban farming across the state. Today, Toledo GROWs supports 110 community gardens, including those located at schools, faith-based organizations,
and neighborhood lots reclaimed by residents.
From its home base on a three-acre farm at the Robert J. Anderson Urban Agriculture Center, Toledo GROWs makes gardening accessible to people of all ages and experience levels. That support includes free seeds and seedlings, tool loans, technical expertise, and educational workshops.
Sability of over 100 gardens
In addition to supporting gardens throughout the city, Toledo GROWs’ urban farm serves as an educational space where community members new to gardening can learn about growing food, sustainability, and urban agriculture through hands-on experiences.
Endowment introduced
“The endowment provides a stable, permanent source of support that strengthens our ability to fulfill our mission regardless of short-term funding fluctuations,” said Sarah Ryley, the new executive director of Toledo GROWs.
The results of this work are visible across Toledo. Community gar- dens supported by Toledo GROWs transform neglected or underused spaces into safe, welcoming places
where neighbors of all backgrounds can come together. These gardens increase access to fresh, healthy food, strengthen neighborhood pride, and help reduce blight and vandalism.
Dubielak advanced The Mission
Much of this growth took shape under Dubielak’s leadership. Raised on a farm in Seneca County, she brought a lifelong connection to growing food into her role when she became executive director in 2013.
With a background in education—first as a teacher and later as an elementary school principal—Dubielak helped Toledo GROWs expand its focus on teaching not just how to
garden, but how community-based growing builds skills, confidence, and connection. During her tenure, the organization became an independent nonprofit in 2017 and continued to broaden its reach and programming.
That work now continues under Ryley, who joined Toledo GROWs in 2024 with a background in nonprofit management and community development. As the organization
looks ahead, the Mission Endowment remains central to its vision.
By supporting the endowment, donors are investing not just in gardens, but in the neighborhoods and people that make Toledo feel like home. Toledo GROWs is framing this moment not as an ending, but as a promise that community gardens will continue to grow, connect, and nourish Toledo for generations to come.
“Establishing and growing the Mission Endowment reflects a shared commitment from staff, volunteers, board members, and community partners,” Ryley said. “It honors the organization’s past while investing in its future.”
