About Sarvodaya Institute
Sarvodaya Institute works and operates on unceded and occupied Tongva land (the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles, CA in colonial speak). We acknowledge and offer our deepest thanks to the Tongva people for the centuries of care and love they offered to this beautiful land we now call home. Our greatest hope is to learn from our indigenous family and return to the beautiful relationship between people and land we all deserve.
We are a nonprofit organization under the IRS Code Section 501(c)(3) with an EIN of: 82-3895964.
Our Mission
To uplift communities through transformative land-based work that heals people and Earth.
Our Intention

Our Story

Our Logo


Our Staff

Lauren Gibson
Farm Manager
Email LaurenHello! I’m Lauren Gibson, an earth dweller who loves learning and teaching about our plant relatives. While I was studying to become an educator, I began to listen and connect with the local ecology around me. I then decided I wanted to share with others the beautiful things the plants were teaching me. While earth is the real teacher, I hope to guide others into finding joy in connecting to place. Today I am walking the path to share that our relationship between self and the earth is reciprocal. My work is rooted in uplifting diversity and community, with the belief that as we collectively work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.

Annmarie Castenada
Assistant Farm Manager
Email Ann-MarieHello! My name is Ann-Marie, I am a Pomona native. My family moved from LA to Pomona in the 70's when there were still dirt roads and orange groves. Some of my earliest memories were playing in my great grandma's garden on Grand Ave that she started when she first moved to Pomona. After 2 years at the farm, I'm an accomlished gardener/farmer filled with gratitude to learn, grow, and cultivate with my community, especially with such an awesome team. I have also been a avide Roller Skater for 7 years now. I am a active member of All Wheels Pomona a grass roots collective for safe skate spaces in Pomona, The Basics of Happy a movement and wellness company based in Long Beach, Unmodern Industries a skate shop in Santa Fe Springs keeping the stoke for skateboarding and Roller Skating alive for the next generation. Ive learned alot from these experiences and I am excited to bring 'em to the farm and see what the farm has in store for me!

Our Board
Evelyn Wu (she/her)
Chairperson of the Board
Evelyn has a decade of nonprofit and startup leadership experience building systems to scale marketing, technology, and teams in high-growth, fast-paced environments. She is currently a Program Manager at the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge, where she delivers evidence-based mental health programs to underserved communities. In her spare time, she enjoys playing taiko drums and planning the downfall of capitalism.

Arthi Radhakrishnan (she/her)
Board Member
Arthi is a longtime gardener and professional software engineer. She is passionate about decolonizing spaces that have long been antagonistic to people of color and women. She currently works at Community.com. For moments of joy, Arthi loves to cook fresh food, play with alpacas and goats, and going on hikes in the San Gabriels and Santa Monica Mountains.

Jennifer Wong
Treasurer
Jen is an emergency nurse and long-time activist that has traveled the world in her work towards bringing justice and equality to strategically undervalued communities. She is also a board member of Refugee Health Alliance, and regularly travels to the US-Mexico border to provide medical aid to migrating people.

Jason Jia
Board Secretary
Jason studied engineering at Stanford University and then went to Harvard Law School, going on to practice corporate law and intellectual property litigation in Los Angeles. He's grateful to have an opportunity to advise Sarvodaya Institute on corporate governance issues and other legal matters to ensure that the organization continues its rewarding work.