LIFE Community Project: Building the First Test Grow Dome for Real Change

We are excited to announce a major step forward: the planning and creation of our very first test grow dome.

This dome will be smaller than the full-sized versions we envision for the LIFE Transitional Housing Project, but it is a crucial starting point. It will serve as a real-world model where we can experiment, learn, and refine the process of growing food year-round. More than that, it will become a space for education, teaching how to grow, harvest, and transform plants into products that support health and wellness.

This step is not just about building a structure. It’s about creating a foundation for people in our programs, especially those in the Not Just A Food Program, to move from homelessness and hardship into becoming thriving, contributing members of our community.

Why the Grow Dome Matters

Food insecurity and poor nutrition are daily realities for the poor and marginalized. Fresh produce is often available only in season, while the rest of the year brings a diet dominated by processed, nutrient-poor options. Without proper nutrition, recovery from trauma, illness, or homelessness becomes nearly impossible.

I know this truth firsthand. After a major stroke, I was left requiring a walker, oxygen, and eventually open-heart surgery. My doctors prescribed more pills, but one caring cardiologist told me something different:

“If you want to regain your health and qualify for surgery, you must stop eating processed food and start eating whole, fresh food.”

That advice saved my life, but I quickly discovered how unaffordable proper nutrition was. If I, already struggling with bills, could barely afford it, what hope do the poor and marginalized have?

That realization drives me today: health and wellness should not be a privilege of the wealthy, but a right for everyone.

Building More Than Food

The grow dome is not just about plants—it’s about people. By building this test model, we create hands-on opportunities:

• Education & Training: Participants can learn how to build, operate, and maintain domes, gaining practical skills that can lead to employment or entrepreneurship.

• Nutrition & Wellness: Year-round access to nutrient-dense foods will form the backbone of recovery for those overcoming trauma and homelessness.

• Community & Creativity: From growing food to making wellness products like teas, spices, or lavender crafts, the dome opens doors to new skills, art, and income streams.

Even the process of building the domes will provide valuable training: sourcing recycled materials, designing sustainable systems, and creating models that can be replicated in other communities across Canada.

A Pathway to Change

This test dome is the first step in a larger vision:

• To expand into transitional housing where education, nutrition, and wellness go hand in hand.

• To help people grow through trauma, not remain defined by it.

• To end cycles of dependency created by systems that too often trap individuals in poverty.

For over 15 years, I have been out on the streets of Oshawa, offering free hugs, free meals, and practical support. I’ve seen the struggles and the resilience of those in need. Through this work, I’ve come to believe deeply in one simple truth:

Love is for everyone.

That belief drives every part of the LIFE Community Project. This dome is not just a structure; it is a symbol of hope, love, and possibility.

Moving Forward

I won’t pretend this journey is easy. I’ve faced setbacks, seen my efforts hijacked by others, and at times felt fear about pushing forward. But I’ve also learned, adapted, and grown stronger.

Now, with the test dome, we are building a living example of what is possible:

• A place where food is medicine.

• A place where people can recover, learn, and thrive.

• A model that can be replicated across Canada, bringing real change one community at a time.

Together, we can stop the cruelty of poverty on our streets and instead create ripples of hope and compassion.

This is just the beginning. The first dome is on the horizon. And from this small start, a much larger vision will grow.