We are Rooted in Love, Family and Community
Our Vision
Communities transformed into resilient sanctuaries of care, where no one carries life’s hardships alone.
Our Purpose
To cultivate living sanctuaries where isolation fades and community thrive. Through the restorative power of shared green space, we provide a peaceful, welcoming environment where neighbors can step away from the noise of modern life, connect authentically with one another, and build a resilient network of care and mutual support.
Our Mission
To cultivate safe, vibrant community spaces where people can naturally step out of isolation and grow into meaningful connections.
The Reality and Our Solution
Modern life moves fast, making it easy to feel isolated even in a crowd. Whether navigating sudden hardships, celebrating big wins, or simply surviving an overwhelming week – too many of us are doing it entirely by ourselves.
We cultivate The Quiet Place Gardens – intentional physical spaces designed to slow down the rush of modern life. We aren’t just building community spaces; we are growing support systems. By offering stable ground, open doors, and shared experiences, we give neighbors a place to anchor themselves, share their burdens, and discover that they belong to something bigger than themselves.
Our Roots (Origin Story)
Our Origins
Lone Star was launched in 2015 to bridge the gap between people and the resources they need to survive. Seeing urgent food insecurity among the DFW unhoused community, we mobilized neighbors to organize critical food and clothing drives. Together, we addressed immediate crises at the ground level and delivered real-time relief directly to local families.Sustaining the Community
Lone Star then stepped in to sustain a vital community safety initiative originally created by the City of Dallas AmeriCorps VISTA program. By sponsoring this project, we secured overhead costs for a crucial afterschool nutrition program and continued to build community partnerships that share important neighborhood safety messages with local children and families.Scaling Our Impact
A year after sustaining the AmeriCorps VISTA community safety initiative, we scaled our neighborhood presence by fully furnishing an afterschool hub. Through structured community partnerships, we built relationships that would provide free, hot, nutritious meals paired with dedicated youth tutoring.Pandemic Crisis Response
When the pandemic hit, we pivoted to meet emergency needs by restructuring our partnerships around sustainable community gardening to fight food insecurity. Lone Star became instrumental in crisis relief distributions, while also organizing local health fairs to support vulnerable families.Reopening and Expanding
When public programs reopened post-COVID, we returned to our core work of sponsoring a dedicated apartment unit inside a 300+ unit complex to anchor our youth afterschool nutrition footprint. We expanded the use of this space and the garden area to host community health fairs, family safety events, and holiday toy drives.Deepening Business Alliances
We forged alliances with local businesses to scale school supply drives, resource distributions, and youth afterschool meals. Through these partnerships, we also launched a community pantry, hosted back-to-school events, and coordinated mental health enrollment sessions for local families.The Evolution: Quiet Place Gardens
We have completely transitioned from our traditional indoor nutrition programs into Quiet Place Gardens, a safe, outdoor green community space. Moving away from our foundational apartment initiative, we redirected our capacity toward building community around a shared open-air sanctuary.Currently, we are transforming a former pool area into a vibrant, multi-cultural recreational garden. This space serves as a peaceful refuge where neighbors of all ages and backgrounds can connect, relax, and engage in mindful and sensory gardening activities. The neighborhood-led group, Hillbilly Harvest Project, is leading the cultivation and harvesting efforts, keeping alive the memory and legacy of long-time resident Fabien King. To ensure this green space thrives for generations to come, the group is also launching local gardening classes to promote health, education, and connection. Through these efforts, communities are transformed into resilient sanctuaries of care, where no one carries life’s hardships alone.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Community Health Worker, Alli Sharpe
Dallas community resident, Shaniqua Hickman
Dallas community resident, Victor Harris
THE QUIET PLACE GARDENS 