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MISSOULA - A pair of local organizations have teamed up to help grow local food for the community and give teenagers living in group homes some real world experience.

Youth Homes and Garden City Harvest held an "open farm" event on Thursday afternoon so that the public could come to see all the hard work that Missoula teens put into a farm.

The farm on Missoula's North Avenue provided salaries to four Youth Homes' teens through grants and private donations, and another 20 volunteers helped out once a week.

The goal of the work project is to help build leadership skills, but for some teens, working on the farm helped them connect with people who share their same background.

"It was a rewarding experience for me. It taught me that there are other people who have been through some of the situations, and I just got experience and advice due to that," explained Sentinel High School student Nicolas Salomon.

Some of the harvested food will be donated to non-profit organizations and underprivileged families around Missoula.