Nature’s Path Empowers 21 Community Gardens for 2021 Through Gardens For Good Program
Nature’s Path – North America’s largest certified organic breakfast and snack food company – is significantly expanding its annual Gardens for Good Program to help recognize the wonderful work community gardens are doing across the US and Canada. Nature’s Path will support 21 community gardens with $5,000 each. Applications will be accepted starting on February 5th, with special focus on gardens founded by and serving, Black, Indigenous and communities of color.
“We believe fresh, nutritious food should be accessible to all, and we are deeply troubled that the reality of our food system does not reflect this,” said Jyoti Stephens, VP Mission and Strategy at Nature’s Path. “Due to the pandemic, access to healthy, fresh food has become even more challenging. That’s why we decided to expand our grants to reach seven times the number of gardens we have supported in previous years. We believe community gardens feed more than just bellies, but also people’s hearts and souls.”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, in the US alone, more than 23 million people live in areas with reduced access to affordable, fresh food, half of which are considered low-income. Gardens for Good was created in 2010 to support the impact local community gardens have in all neighborhoods, but especially ones with limited access to fresh foods. Every year since its inception, Gardens For Good has provided three grants to nonprofit organic community gardens. This marks the first year Nature’s Path has expanded their contributions to 21 gardens.
Since the program’s inception, Nature’s Path has donated more than $400,000 and supported 27 community garden projects. The beneficiaries of their support primarily include areas where affordable, nutritious foods are not widely available. Previous winners include The YAM Project in Sudbury, Ontario; Growing Roots in Pomona, CA; Garden Joy in Ripon, CA, among many others.
Applications for the program can be submitted here and promoted for votes through April 7th. Winners will be selected on National Gardening Day (April 14th).
To learn more about the Gardens For Good Program, click here or follow them on Twitter @NaturesPath and Instagram @NaturesPathOrganic.