HWB Western Mass-People’s Medicine Project
People’s Medicine Project started in 2014 with the goal of increasing access to plant medicine in our area. We started as a garden, offering free education, plants, and herbs. When we started engaging with community partners, and showing up for partner events, and leaning into our partners’ goals and needs, the project took off.
Since then, we have been running multi-modality free alternative health care clinics, including herbalism for over a decade. We have taken many incarnations and shapes throughout our history, (especially during COVID,) but the core programming of accessible (free) clinics has sustained.
We are powered by volunteers, except for a very small part time admin staff team. We currently work with four main communities:
- Farm Workers/ Latino immigrants
- People in recovery
- People coming out of incarceration
- People recovering from partner violence
For future goals, we are: exploring how to better serve our immigrant friends, and partnerships with medical doctors to fill the vast gaps in health care for this population. We are exploring how to keep “input”/ effort lower, while increasing impact/ ease.
We are excited about offering more skill-building and education as part of our care. We are leaning into relationships with reciprocity.
The Latino immigrant community is suffering from the treat of terror and exploitation on every level. Very few have medical care, and the majority prefer non-pharmacological approaches to health, so we are actively pursing how we can be of more support.
We run clinics at recovery and re-entry centers, and at centers that support people dealing with family violence.
We also run a garden (powered by vols) and an apothecary (likewise), give away medicinal and pollinator plants, and receive partners’ groups to engage in our gardens.
Support Our Chapter
Join Our Chapter:
You can join at any level (individual, business, or nonprofit) and be a member of our chapter. We invite all, regardless of your herbal knowledge. We learn together.
Donate To Our Chapter:
Your financial support helps the chapter focus on community priorities, including distribution of herbal products, education of herbal medicine, creation of a local garden, and health justice.
All donations are tax-deductible and received by Herbalists Without Borders in the U.S., a registered non-profit organization. Payment is accepted through PayPal and credit cards.
Please contact me if you would like to donate products or other in-kind donations. We thank you for your support!
DONATE BELOW
Contact & Online Information
Chapter Coordinator:
Leslie Chaison
Mailing Address:
PO Box 923, Greenfield, MA, 01341
Click an icon below to reach us online.
