In continued support of their belief that everyone has the right to fresh, organic, chemical-free food, Nature’s Path is pleased to announce the winners of the second annual Gardens for Good Grant contest, which helps put organic community gardens where they will serve those who need them most. The three deserving non-profit organizations that are recipients of the grants are CAPI USA in Minneapolis, MN; GroW Gardens in Washington, D.C. and Oliver’s Garden Project in Hamilton, ON, Canada. The Gardens for Good Grant program is part of the Nature’s Path commitment to urban agriculture and aims to empower communities to take action and grow organically where they live.
“These organizations are making such a difference in their communities and we are honored to work with them,” says Arran Stephens, Nature’s Path’s President and co-founder. “Our goal is not only to provide organic food for those who might not have access to it, but also cultivate socially responsible community leaders who will bring people together to create positive change.”
Out of over 90 outstanding entries from nonprofit organizations making an impact at the local level, CAPI, GroW Gardens and Oliver’s Garden Project rose to the top. The winners were selected based on the location, reach, need, infrastructure and the feasibility of their plan. The organizations will each receive a share of $65,000 cash for their community garden project, a technical design and production mentorship provided by Organic Gardening magazine, a free organic breakfast community celebration and a donation of Nature’s Path products to help fill the pantries of a local food bank.
CAPI is a Minneapolis-based organization focused on social justice and anti-poverty initiatives among immigrants and refugees in the Twin Cities. They support their community in many different ways, from providing gardening tools and supplies, to securing site permissions and assisting residents in preparing the community garden site for planting. The Gardens for Good Grant will help CAPI create new gardens in poverty-stricken neighborhoods and make improvements to existing gardens. A portion of the gardeners’ harvest will also benefit the wider community through CAPI’s Food Shelf and Elder Care program.
GroW Gardens is a volunteer-led program at Washington D.C.’s George Washington University. Harvests from the gardens serve local Miriam’s Kitchen, a social service agency that provides nutritious meals, case management, and art therapy to local homeless and at-risk citizens. The Gardens for Good Grant will help enhance the existing garden infrastructure and expand the project to other sites in order to maximize yields and serve more people.
The Hamilton Community Garden Network (HCGN) is a vibrant but small group of committed garden enthusiasts who provide a wide array of support to emerging and established community gardens in Hamilton, Ontario. The Gardens for Good Grant will be used to fund Oliver’s Garden Project, a program that provides individual citizens with the knowledge and resources needed to share the organic produce from their backyard with the wider community.