Tom Powell’s passion is gardening.

The retired teacher does more than grow plants.

He is helping plant a variety of seeds — curiosity, confidence, delayed gratification, and more — in young people who likely have never given much thought to gardening.

Powell is one of a small but growing number of volunteers that are sharing their passion and expertise with everything from art and dance to basic bicycle maintenance with teens at the Thomas Toy Community Center.

The free program designed for seventh through 12th graders is housed in the original Manteca News building on the southeast corner of Fremont and Yosemite avenues.

It was gutted and remodeled specifically as a hangout for teens to chill with friends, have fun, to learn skills that can open doors to confidence and lifetime passions as well as connect with others sans social media.

It includes everything from a massive teen cave for things such as foosball, movies, and more to just hanging out, a cafe, social media production studio, to spaces designed specifically to explore the arts and other disciplines such as basic car care.

There is a grand opening on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. to showcase the Thomas Toy Center to the community, prospective teen members, and those that may be interested in volunteering to make a difference in the lives of young people.

The event includes a ribbon cutting, food and drinks, as well as games and door prizes.

That said, you might ask what seems like an obvious question — gardening?

How can something as “old school” as working with dirt compete with the social media app du jour?

It’s the age-old joy of discovering you can do something.

Powell noted such “hands on tactical learning” is a proven way to help people master various skills.

Over the years, Powell has seen the joy and curiosity garden projects have sparked in participating youth.

And what is harvested goes beyond simply producing fresh vegetables and such. It instills confidence, a sense of pride, and a desire to learn more.

That has been the case with a gardening program that Powell has been involved with at nearby Lincoln School as well as in the past at Sequoia School.

The Toy Center has indoor gardening apparatus as well as raised planters on a fenced in patio.

On a recent chilly afternoon, Powell gave a quick run through of how the raised garden was set up while teens chatted around a nearby fire pit just outside the doors of the teen cave.

To make the teen center serving seventh through 12th graders as effective as possible, volunteers are needed to help mentor youth by sharing their skills and passions as well as providing essential support staff.

The teen center is now open two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Additional volunteers will mean the teen center hours will eventually be Monday through Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. with some weekends.

Volunteer hours can change based on need.

Volunteers are required to complete Live Scan prior to working with students.

 More information can be found at thomastoycc.org or by calling 209-407-2568.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com