Giving Gardens (St. Helena's)
Donation protected
We are an organization that works with communities to grow fresh produce for those in need. Our goal is to build and revitalize a network of gardens across the Chicago-land area that will supply the cities food pantries, soup kitchens and other food insecurity organizations with access to fresh healthy produce.
We have already revitalized a once unused garden located on the land of St. Helena’s Church. We have created a community volunteer program to help plant and maintain the garden, and have grown 500 pounds of produce this year that has been donated to local food banks. In our next year of operation we are expanding our production and infrastructure at our current garden, as well as pursuing other future garden sites inside the city. With this we hope to double our donations to 1,000+ pounds next year.
As well as donating a large portion of our harvests, select amounts will be sold through our Farm Stand program and to local restaurant partners to generate revenue for the garden’s annual budget.
There is currently a strong local food movement in restaurants and I believe we can take advantage of this trend to affect positive social and environmental change. By growing and selling high value crops to restaurants, we can offset the costs of our charitable production of bulk produce for local food pantries. In this way we can utilize the economic potential of urban farming to help feed our city at a local level.
While we have successfully restarted our first garden, there are a few things that could make us even more productive. We have big dreams for this garden and many other like it in the future. Below is a list of goals we hope to raise money for this year. With your help we can grow a greener tomorrow by planting the seeds of change today.
Our Goals-
*Signs for Garden/Farm Stand
*Low Hoop Tunnels
*Drip Irrigation System for Greenhouse
*Supplies such as Landscape Fabric, Trellis Wire, Harvest Bins, and Farm Stand supplies
*Garden Amendments
*Additional Hand Tools- Such as a Pitch Fork & Stir Up Weeder
If we successfully reach our goals, this season we will be able to grow an additional 1,000+ pounds of produce for donation in 2017. Our long term goal is to be able to donate 2,000+ pounds of food each year from this site alone. We appreciate donations of any amount. In our first season we donated over a pound of food for every dollar raised, so truly every dollar counts when it comes to putting food on the plates of those in need. Thank you to everyone for making this possible.
"From small seeds, great things grow!"
We have already revitalized a once unused garden located on the land of St. Helena’s Church. We have created a community volunteer program to help plant and maintain the garden, and have grown 500 pounds of produce this year that has been donated to local food banks. In our next year of operation we are expanding our production and infrastructure at our current garden, as well as pursuing other future garden sites inside the city. With this we hope to double our donations to 1,000+ pounds next year.
As well as donating a large portion of our harvests, select amounts will be sold through our Farm Stand program and to local restaurant partners to generate revenue for the garden’s annual budget.
There is currently a strong local food movement in restaurants and I believe we can take advantage of this trend to affect positive social and environmental change. By growing and selling high value crops to restaurants, we can offset the costs of our charitable production of bulk produce for local food pantries. In this way we can utilize the economic potential of urban farming to help feed our city at a local level.
While we have successfully restarted our first garden, there are a few things that could make us even more productive. We have big dreams for this garden and many other like it in the future. Below is a list of goals we hope to raise money for this year. With your help we can grow a greener tomorrow by planting the seeds of change today.
Our Goals-
*Signs for Garden/Farm Stand
*Low Hoop Tunnels
*Drip Irrigation System for Greenhouse
*Supplies such as Landscape Fabric, Trellis Wire, Harvest Bins, and Farm Stand supplies
*Garden Amendments
*Additional Hand Tools- Such as a Pitch Fork & Stir Up Weeder
If we successfully reach our goals, this season we will be able to grow an additional 1,000+ pounds of produce for donation in 2017. Our long term goal is to be able to donate 2,000+ pounds of food each year from this site alone. We appreciate donations of any amount. In our first season we donated over a pound of food for every dollar raised, so truly every dollar counts when it comes to putting food on the plates of those in need. Thank you to everyone for making this possible.
"From small seeds, great things grow!"
Organizer and beneficiary
Giving Gardens
Organizer
Willowbrook, IL
Gabrielle Delatorre
Beneficiary