Community Garden Grants Awarded to 14 Nonprofit Organizations
Gardenburger Brand Veggie Products Provides Necessary Funds to Help Create or Sustain Community Gardening Projects
BATTLE CREEK, Mich., September 1, 2009 – According to the National Gardening Association, the average family can grow $600 worth of vegetables with just a $70 investment.1 However, those who live in urban areas and don’t have access to their own land cannot take advantage of this money-saving activity. To help provide more people with access to fresh fruits and vegetables, Gardenburger brand veggie products – through its Community Garden Grants Program – is awarding necessary funding to 14, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to help them create or maintain a community gardening project.
A group of judges (two gardening experts and a Gardenburger brand representative) evaluated the 362 qualified applications, each requesting between $1,000 and $10,000 in grant funding. Based on the judges’ evaluations of the applications, the following organizations (in alphabetical order) will be awarded the grant monies they requested for their community gardening projects.
| Organization Name |
City/State |
Grant Amount |
One Grant Activity |
| Bethlehem Inn |
Bend, Ore. |
$7,344 |
Purchase necessary supplies to establish a garden on the premises |
| Boys & Girls Club/Maryetta School |
Stilwell, Okla. |
$4,794 |
Purchase necessary supplies to establish a garden, including an outdoor classroom space |
| Buffalo Reuse |
Buffalo, N.Y. |
$9,966 |
Purchase necessary supplies to create a large vegetable garden within six vacant parcels on their block |
| Common Threads Farm |
Lummi Island, Wash. |
$8,850 |
Develop and maintain a garden on the grounds of Lummi National School, which is on the Lummi Indian Reservation |
| FOCUS Churches of Albany |
Albany, N.Y. |
$1,262 |
Expand their “Garden in a Bucket” program by 100 additional families |
| Gladstone Education Foundation |
Gladstone, Ore. |
$8,803 |
Develop gardening-related curriculum and train staff to teach children about gardening |
| Homeless Garden Project |
Santa Cruz, Calif. |
$9,500 |
Pay for the water necessary to sustain their garden |
| HOPE: Helping Others Pursue Enrichment |
Jacksonville, Texas |
$3,629 |
Purchase necessary gardening equipment and build a storage unit to provide better access to the garden |
| Irving Park Carlson Ministries |
Chicago |
$4,371 |
Create a gathering space in their garden where cooking and gardening instruction can be offered to the community |
| Pennsylvania Horticultural Society |
Philadelphia |
$9,985 |
Update their educational materials and hold five gardening workshops for the public |
| Rogers Park Green Space |
Chicago |
$5,346 |
Purchase the necessary supplies to maintain a new organic garden |
| United Teen Equality Center |
Lowell, Mass. |
$10,000 |
Help train youth volunteers to run the ¾ acre farm and sell their harvest at the local farmers market |
| Wheeler School |
Providence, R.I. |
$3,780 |
Purchase necessary supplies to sustain their garden |
“Community gardens across the country share the same philosophy as Gardenburger: to make food that matters to people and their world,” said Ami Krishan, associate director, Gardenburger. “We were inspired by the wonderful work that all of the organizations who applied for a grant are doing to provide community members with access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and are very excited to help 14 of them bring their community gardening projects to fruition.”
For more information about the Gardenburger Community Garden Grants recipients, please visit http://www.gardenburger.com.
1 Wall Street Journal Online, “How Much Can Growing a Vegetable Garden Save You?”, Neal Templin, April 16, 2009
Contact
Jessica Wickliffe
Hunter Public Relations
(212) 679-6600
jwickliffe@hunterpr.com
Mike Morrissey
Gardenburger
(269) 961-9485
About Gardenburger
Gardenburger brand is the original veggie burger made with real, natural ingredients including a variety of vegetables and whole grains. At Gardenburger, we believe that people need a balanced diet to live a healthy lifestyle. That’s why we cultivate great tasting foods that meet a diverse array of nutritional needs. Our product line includes a variety of veggie patties, including The Original, Veggie Medley, Black Bean Chipotle, Sun-Dried Tomato Basil and Portabella. Gardenburger products can be found in the frozen food or natural food sections of grocery stores, and in natural food stores nationwide. For more information, visit the Gardenburger web site at www.gardenburger.com.
