Sow It Forward is the MacGyver of food garden grants programs. Apply now: http://SowItForward.org/
Look no further! Our new SeedMoney program offers grants to help start or sustain diverse food garden projects in the US and abroad. Our deadline is Nov 12 so get started today: http://seedmoney.org/
Happy Back to the Future Day! This post is for fans of Michael J. Fox as well as fans of the future. For those who aren’t in the loop, in Back to the Future 2, Marty McFly takes the DeLorean time machine into the future to October 21, 2015 at 4:29pm. The garden “hook” for this post is that one of the talks I give to groups is called “Gardening Our Way Back to the Future” in which I make the case that food gardens are a bit like time machines in that they connect us with our agricultural past while offering a bridge to a healthy, sustainable future. To all the gardeners out there, thanks for keeping your own “time machines” in good working order…they’re going to be really needed in the future!
carrotoke:
Carrotoke mics fall into two main categories.
carrotoke:
Members of St. Nick’s Episcopal Church in Scarborough, Maine have accepted KGI’s challenge to sing into carrots in support of KGI’s Sow It Forward minigrants program. Congregation members are not only walking the talk but singing it too by starting a food garden project on the church’s grounds which will grow food for the Scarborough Food Pantry.
Here’s how #carrotoke works:
- Post a photo or video of yourself singing into a carrot. Tag with #carrotoke
- Invite/tag 3 other fun-loving, carrot-crunching friends to do the same
- Make a tax-deductible donation to give healthy food gardens (and carrots!) to folks in need here: http://carrotoke.org/donate
carrotoke:
Hayley Williams of the band Paramore is a #carrotoke pioneer. For years now, she’s been turning her mic mics into carrot mics by wrapping them in bright orange tape.
The IDEP Foundation is a nonprofit based in Bali - Indonesia. This spring it used its Sow It Forward grant to build new staircases into their permaculture demonstration gardens and to repair fish ponds. Each year, the gardens welcome over 1000 students including many with special needs and its important that they have safe access to them.
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Source: kgi.org
kitchengardeners:
Around the world, women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. They hold nearly half of all jobs in the US but fewer than 25 percent of STEM jobs. Given this imbalance, KGI was very happy to offer a Sow It Forward grant to Vermont Works for Women this spring to help them teach young women how to build needed structures for their gardens like raised beds, fencing, a new picnic table and a bench.
You can learn more about their program here http://kgi.org/fresh-food-summer-garden-project and here https://www.facebook.com/FreshFoodVT
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Our parade of good garden news continues via our Sow It Forward garden grantees. Next stop: the Growing Healthy Kids Community Garden in Carrboro, North Carolina: http://kgi.org/growing-healthy-kids-community-garden
Nkechi Ibe (left) is from the town of Aba in the eastern part of Nigeria. She moved to North Carolina with her family five years ago. She began gardening in 2013. Prior to that, she had no gardening experience either in the states or in Africa.
When asked why she joined the project, Nkechi said that she wanted to grow healthy vegetables for her kids and that she wanted her kids to learn how to garden. When asked what her favorite thing is about being part of the garden, Nkechi replied “My okra! I eat okra a lot!”
Her oldest daughter Ogechi says she too has learned how to grow food, how deep to plant the seeds and she likes eating the fresh food. Her little brother Ikenna and sister Chesson love to fill the watering cans and help water their plot. They enjoy playing with the other kids that come to the garden. The family also like the potluck dinners held at the garden and the chance to socialize with the other gardeners. Nkechi really appreciated a clothes and toy swap that organized earlier in the season for families to exchange gently used items.
The Ibe family members are very happy to be part of the Growing Healthy Kids Community Garden and KGI is happy to support their community garden through a Sow It Forward grant.
All children should have a chance to see and taste where good food comes from and to play in a safe, healthy setting!
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Let’s hear it for Carla who’s growing her first garden ever this year for herself and her daughter in Frederick, Maryland!
Together, they’re growing collard greens, sweet peas, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, and herbs. Their garden is located at Lucas Village, a public housing neighborhood that serves 92 low-income families, and is one of our 160 Sow It Forward grantees this year.
Located over a mile from the nearest grocery store, Lucas Village is considered a food desert which is complicated by the fact that many of the residents do not own a car and rely on family or friends for transportation. Over 90% of the families that live in the community receive some form of food assistance whether it is SNAP benefits, WIC, or both and make regular trips to the food bank to supplement their remaining food needs. The garden, in conjunction with various classes being offered, is helping residents become vested in their meals by learning where their food comes from and having the opportunity to grow their own.
Here at KGI, we’re very pleased to be able to help Carla and the other Lucas Village residents grow their own healthy foods. If you’d like to know more about their project, you can see their project page here: http://kgi.org/lucas-village-community-garden
Grow, Carla, grow!
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