About Us
For several years, Holly Hirshberg's family had grown fruit and vegetables in a home garden during the summer months. She had enjoyed fresh tomato sandwiches, vine ripened cucumbers, red and yellow bell peppers, fresh herbs, like basil, thyme, and rosemary, potatoes, and watermelon. The fresh produce was a nice summer treat each year. Then in 2008, in the midst of a crumbling economy, the idea struck her that she could easily expand her garden to grow more produce, which she could donate to the food bank. That idea quickly grew into a plan where families and communities could weather the tough times and reduce or eliminate their reliance on food banks by growing produce themselves. Much like the Victory Gardens of the First and Second World Wars, these gardens would allow people to stretch their food budgets and enhance their nutritional intake. Individuals and families could have greater food security and take a direct part in that effort.
To help people achieve their gardens, she figured she would start at the beginning: provide people with vegetable seeds, free of charge. She could then support their efforts with gardening information and tips for cheap gardening in the space they had available, like patios, backyards, schoolyards, community lots, and church lawns. She envisioned a nation where front lawns, empty lots, medians, parks, schools, churches, and community centers devoted space to fruit and vegetable gardens. "The Dinner Garden isn't just about the seeds," she says. "It is about giving people hope. It is about showing people another way to live. The Dinner Garden is creating communities where families spend time together in a productive way and children learn that they can create something beautiful and useful to their family."
Holly registered The Dinner Garden as a non-profit corporation in the fall of 2008 in the State of Texas. At the beginning of 2009, The Dinner Garden began its mission of distributing seeds. In July 2009, the IRS granted 501(c)(3) status to The Dinner Garden. The Dinner Garden has reached into states all over the country and has provided seeds to thousands of families. They have partnered with organizations, food banks, and businesses across the country, like Catholic Charities, World Food Garden, Seeds for Food, the Wyoming Food Bank, the San Antonio Food Bank, One World Everybody Eats, Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army, His Harvest Stand, and The Rubber Stamp Shop.
Our Staff
Holly Hirshberg
Executive Director
Holly Hirshberg is the Executive Director of The Dinner Garden. Holly is an innovative thinker and social entrepreneur. She has the ability to create innovative and practical solutions for large, complex, and difficult problems. During her time as a reference librarian for the Chesterfield County Library System, she managed numerous programs for adults, teens, and children. She is experienced in creating and presenting entertaining, informative, and award winning training programs. Holly specializes in creating training programs about building positive relationships with clients. She has extensive experience in delivering media presentations and television and printed interviews. Over the past six years, she has acted as an advocate for numerous families across the country, specializing in helping parents of special needs and traumatized children. Holly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In 2008, Holly realized that when families don't have enough food, they can not function to their full potential. As a tireless advocate for people in need, Holly decided to create a program where people could get free seeds and be connected with gardening resources in their community. Thus, The Dinner Garden was born. Holly's work in getting food into the hands of those in need has seen great results. People are gardening, families have greater food security, and communities are coming together for a common purpose.
Texas Governor Rick Perry gave Holly the Yellow Rose of Texas Award in 2009 for her work in The Dinner Garden. Holly also won the Cabot Cheese Community Celebrity Award in 2009.
Sean Hirshberg
Chief Operating Officer
Sean Hirshberg is the Chief Operating Officer of The Dinner Garden. He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Maryland and is a graduate candidate at Benedictine University in Chicago, Illinois. He has over 20 years of work experience with 12 of those years in the financial industry. He has worked as a project manager and business analyst on numerous large projects for Wachovia Securities, Scott & Stringfellow, Riordan Consulting, and Stanford Financial.