Some days at work look a little different, or a lot different. We spent one day with no laptop, no meeting rooms and no teams calls. Instead, soil under our fingernails, watering hose in our hands, and rows of tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini and lettuce in front of us.

This time, our Social Day+ took the teams from Erste Social Banking, Erste Finance and Time Bank to the Social Agriculture project at Rosenhügel, run by Samariterbund Wien.

It is hard to believe that this place is still Vienna. Surrounded by gardens, fields and greenery, the pace changes and, within seconds, the traffic and noise of the city seem to fade into the background. We slow down, get our hands dirty and focus on something very simple and tangible: helping things grow.

It feels good.

But what grows at Rosenhügel is about much more than vegetables.

The grounds are part of Hietzing Hospital and are closely connected to its child and adolescent psychiatric care. Children and young people come here regularly as part of their therapeutic activities, spending time outdoors and working with plants, soil and nature. In this setting, gardening becomes more than gardening. It can provide structure, responsibility, sensory experiences and a different way to engage with the world around them.

At the invitation of the Rothschild Foundation, Samariterbund Wien is transforming part of these grounds into a unique place where health, nature and social participation come together. The project combines social farming, environmental education, horticultural therapy and biodiversity, while also addressing a very practical need: access to fresh and nutritious food.

The fruit and vegetables grown here go directly to Samariterbund Wien’s five social supermarkets (SOMA) across Vienna, in Favoriten, Meidling, Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Floridsdorf and Donaustadt, as well as to facilities supporting homeless people and refugees. This means that the work done in these gardens helps provide fresh food to low-income families, single parents and older people.

And the effort goes beyond what is grown at Rosenhügel. Samariterbund Wien also works closely with regional farms to rescue surplus fruit and vegetables that are perfectly edible but can no longer be sold. Instead of going to waste, this food finds its way to people who can use it.

For us, the day was an opportunity to contribute in a simple, tangible way. We watered, planted, harvested, worked the soil and got our hands properly dirty. We saw where food comes from, how much effort goes into growing it, and how something as ordinary as a tomato, zucchini or head of lettuce can become part of a much bigger story.

A story about reducing waste, supporting people in difficult circumstances, creating spaces that can support healing and wellbeing, reconnecting with nature and building a more sustainable and socially inclusive city.

We left Rosenhügel with a reminder that making a difference does not always have to be complicated. Often, it starts by simply planting something, taking care of it and making sure that what grows reaches the people who need it most.