Our Team
Eric DeBode
Eric DeBode was born and raised in Los Ángeles. After high school, he joined the Jesuits and studied to be a Catholic priest for 9 years, which included going to Santa Clara University for undergraduate studies in Politics, where he received the Riordan Award for Service upon graduation. He then attended Gonzaga University for graduate studies in Philosophy. He left the Jesuits in 1992 and continued working in social work projects for the homeless and prisoners for several years. He co-founded the Center for Restorative Justice Works in 2003; supporting prisoner’s children and families with general visitation and special programs on Mother’s and Father’s Days. In 2007, he founded and directed the Chowchilla Family Express; an innovative family reunification project in concert with the CDCR’s Female Offenders Services. In 2011, he moved to Half Moon Bay and founded the Abundant Grace Coastside Worker in 2015. He lives in Half Moon Bay with his wife, Alice Linsmeier, who is a farm worker leadership team trainer for the Equitable Food Initiative, and two children, Liliana (21) and Javier (16).
Jay Trexler
Jay holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and has previously worked as both a wilderness therapist and a social worker. He met his now wife Suzie at UCSC’s Center for Agroecology in 2008, and eventually followed her to Potrero Nuevo Farm where he began serving the local homeless population with farm programming in 2011. Along with Suzie, Jay is Director of Farm and Environmental Programs. Jay’s background prepared him for meaningful conversations with Abundant Grace participants that challenge them to seek a brighter future. He also enjoys designing curriculum for the Farm Apprenticeship program and the Conservation Crew as well as overseeing two annual farm fundraisers for Abundant Grace: The Bike Hut Classic and the Farm-to-Table Dinner & Silent Auction.
Laura Fajardo
Laura Fajardo holds a degree in Political Science and Government from the Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia. She has 15 years of experience working with vulnerable communities: homeless, people with disabilities, and LGBTI community. Laura is passionate about cooking and, since joining our organization, has implemented a strategy called "Food for the Heart," highlighting the value of nutrition to improve everyone's quality of life. She is passionate about the outdoors and has been responsible for translating all our programs into Spanish, managing our Workforce Development Center and serving as the point of contact for all our Spanish-speaking participants.
Lexi Hamilton
Lexi is the Program Manager for Farm Programs and the Director of Housing Resources at Abundant Grace. Lexi has worked with Abundant Grace since 2021 and has supported homeless housing programs since 2018 in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. She draws on this background to help navigate participants through the often complex and challenging subsidized housing process in San Mateo County. Her time in the urban shelter environment sparked a passion to develop more creative and supportive approaches to serving this population. At Abundant Grace, Lexi facilitates the full circle food justice program where participants plant, grow and harvest food that is then set up at the farm stand at our Workforce Development Center for our local community to enjoy. She also leads several enrichment outings and activities that often involve hiking, nature and cooking. Originally from San Diego, Lexi moved to the Bay Area to attend school where she got a degree in Liberal Studies from SF State. In her free time, Lexi can be found hiking, traveling, cooking or DJ-ing.
Sam Lopez
Samuel has been a Half Moon Bay native his entire life. And is the bookkeeper at Abundant Grace Coastside Worker with an Associates Degree in Accounting, and is currently enrolled in class at California State University East Bay to earn a Bachelors in Accounting and Finance. Not only is he receiving great accounting experience, but he feels fulfilled working at a nonprofit with such a noble mission, To serve the unhoused on the Coastside.
Sarah Buller
Sarah was born and raised in Los Angeles, has lived in Northern California and Seattle and moved to the Bay Area in 2003. She has spent the last 13 years living in Half Moon Bay with her family. Sarah holds a B.A. in Behavioral & Social Science with emphasis in Social Work, Ethnic Studies + Psychology. She is the Director of Operations at AGCW, as well as a group therapy practice in town. She has worked in elder care management, early childhood development, event production, and project management for digital and experiential marketing agencies. Working at Abundant Grace allows Sarah to leverage her diverse skills at the intersection of humanity, creativity and action which are a few of her favorite things. In her free time, Sarah enjoys creative pursuits, travel and spending time with her kids and husband exploring the Coast and beyond.
Susie Mahoney
Susie has been with our team for almost 4 years. She came to California from her Canadian homeland on a road trip in 2019 and never left! Susie’s schooling and work background is based in Therapeutic Recreation and Agricultural science. She has lived and traveled all over the world and has seen how poverty affects communities everywhere. Her love of working with people and farming made finding Abundant Grace a perfect fit. For example, Susie has contributed to our Value Added programming by using her flower know-how from years of working at a flower farm in Pescadero. She also used to work for the CDCR, doing recreational therapy for high-risk offenders. It has been great to see participants connect with Susie and these new programs on this learning and creative journey. Susie Mahoney hails from Nova Scotia, Canada, and has travelled extensively throughout her life finally landing in Northern California in 2019. She has a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and Agricultural Business, and it has been wonderful for Abundant Grace to have her skillful work in both fields. She is one of our Program Managers, and runs the Coastside Clean Team and our Value-Added and Flower Apprenticeship programs.
Suzie Trexler
Suzie graduated from UCSC’s Center for Agroecology in 2008 and brought her life-long exploration of food to Potrero Nuevo Farm that same year. Shortly after, the farm partnered with Eric Debode and what would become Abundant Grace. Suzie has served the local homeless population with farm programming since 2011 and is Director of Farm and Environmental Programs (along with her husband Jay). She loves connecting with participants while empowering them with farm skills, foraging, or cooking together. In addition to launching the Farm Apprenticeship and the Conservation Crew with Jay, they oversee two annual farm fundraisers for Abundant Grace: The Bike Hut Classic and the Farm-to-Table Dinner & Silent Auction.