Introducing the 2023 Gardens for Good Winners!

 

At Nature’s Path Organic Foods, we believe in the power of community gardens to support organic urban farming, create a positive social impact, and fight food insecurity by providing more accessibility to fresh organic food to the communities in which they are grown.  

 

Since 2010, our Gardens for Good grant program has donated over $720,000 to nearly 90 community gardens. We are committed to donating 1 million dollars to organic community gardens by 2028. 

 

This year, we are awarding 15 organic community gardens $7,500 each to put towards their programming! We are constantly inspired by the incredible organizations that apply for our grants. They are making big changes in their local communities, and it is a true privilege to support them and further their work to plant it forward. 
 

 

Meet our 2023 Gardens for Good grant winners!  
 

Alton Park Community Urban Farm - Chattanooga, Tennessee  

"Gardens for Good will ensure that our summer interns are paid a fair wage for the summer growing season and in turn sustain the viability of our farm. With this support, we can ensure the lasting success of our projects and cultivate new opportunities." 

 

Anthony’s Garden of SSJNN - Erie, Pennsylvania  

"In early 2022, our community was devastated by the passing of Anthony Cortes, a kind and hardworking teenager who worked summers in our teen urban farm and garden program as well as at the neighboring Larry's Market. Expanding and renaming the space to Anthony's Garden will honor his legacy and improve the quality of life for all neighbors who use the garden." 

 

Burnaby and Region Allotment and Garden Association - Burnaby, BC  

Burnaby and Region Allotment Garden Association's (also known as BARAGA) mission is to provide opportunities for non-profit, recreational fruit and vegetable gardening for residents of Burnaby and surrounding regions; to provide horticultural advice and shared experience for members, including first-time gardeners; and to promote awareness of the natural processes of food growing.  

 

Change Agents Community Garden - Bronx (NYC), New York  

In an effort to fight food insecurity in the South Bronx, Change Agents Community Garden is growing, harvesting, and distributing healthy, fresh produce to the families and friends surrounding our schools. By providing this kind of produce to their community, they can help those who are hungry and also improve the overall health of their families. 

 

Elk Grove Community Garden and Learning Center - Elk Grove, California  

For 19 years the Elk Grove Community Garden and Learning Center (EGCG) has been serving the elderly, children's youth programs, families, and the Food Bank through gardening, food donation, and learning opportunities. The garden is also certified by the National Wildlife Habitat Foundation and the wildlife habitats and native plants throughout the garden are thriving!  

With the Gardens for Good grant, they plan to install new infrastructure that ensures an easier and safer entry point for all their gardeners, especially senior citizen members and members with disabilities.  

 

Green Thumbs Up - Toronto, Ontario  

"Green Thumbs Growing Kids is a non-profit organization based in Toronto that focuses on food and nature literacy. Our mission is to cultivate environmental stewardship and promote hands-on garden programs in collaboration with schools and community agencies." 
 

Growing Community Greenhouse and Garden - London, Ontario  

"We use our greenhouses and gardens to engage children, youth, families, and volunteers, in year-round, hands-on learning about our local food systems while growing fresh, organic produce for households in need.   

We aim to reach even more families by increasing our production abilities while providing children, youth, and volunteers even more opportunities to learn about food production from seed to salad." 
 

Kelly Street Garden - Bronx (NYC), New York  

Kelly Street Garden is a BIPOC women-led garden that seeks a multi-ethnic, cross-generation engagement in all their work. The garden aims to be an oasis of healing in a community that has faced many challenges over the past several decades. For them, food is the gateway to all things justice. 

 

McQuesten Urban Farm – Hamilton, Ontario 

As part of an initiative to increase food security in the McQuesten area, in 2010 we developed a 3+ acre urban farm in the green space behind Biindigen Hub in Hamilton Ontario. Run by Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg, McQuesten Urban Farm is a not-for-profit charitable Indigenous organization that provides high-quality programs and services across the entire life cycle to the Indigenous population in Hamilton.  

 

NEXUS Community Garden and Urban Farm - Cincinnati, Ohio  

The NEXUS Community Garden and Urban Farm operates in response to a real need; the food insecurity experienced by the low-income, BIPOC community of Evanston. Our mission is to serve as a collaborative growing space that brings together diverse stakeholders to grow genuinely transformative relationships, address food insecurity and hunger, educate about the importance of urban agriculture, and promote sustainability.   

 

Ridgecrest Community Garden - Ridgecrest, California  

Our organization, Holistic Divine Innovations is a BIPOC organization that founded the Ridgecrest Community Garden. Our farm focuses on environmental justice and changing the food chain system by providing access to locally grown produce and direct access for our community to be a part of the farm-to-table process. 

 

The Ecology Center and Market Garden- San Juan Capistrano, California 

The Ecology Center is a 28-acre Regenerative Organic Certified non-profit farm and education center in San Juan Capistrano, California. They provide sustainable, locally grown food to their community in Orange County. Their Farm Stand offers a 100% EBT matching program called "Nourishing Neighbors" to increase access to healthy produce for families experiencing food insecurity, serving 200 families each month.   

 

The Village Tree - Wilmington, Delaware 
The Village Tree gives the community access to fruits and vegetables in their local neighborhood. Their program has provided over 20,000 pounds of produce and served over 60,000 meals to the community. Their goal remains to provide community access to healthy fresh organic food. 

 

Tierra y Paz - Chicago, Illinois  

Tierra Y Paz is part of an incubator farm shared by 5 small urban farmers.They are all women of color and use their produce for different purposes - including using the space for educational programming to give city children experience gardening and providing mutual aid by supplying healthy food to under-served communities. 

 

Vancouver Urban Food Forest - Vancouver, British Columbia  

Vancouver Urban Food Forest Foundation is an inclusive, intergenerational, cross-cultural knowledge-sharing community with a mission to transform Vancouver's neighborhoods into nourishing spaces. They work to amplify and prioritize Indigenous ways of knowing and marginalized voices in their public parks and green spaces. They transform their local environment through community knowledge-sharing, food forests, and by creating hubs for mutual aid and exchange.