Gardenburger(R) Brand Veggie Products Provides Necessary Funds to Help Create or Sustain Community Gardening Projects

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- 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         Stilwell,       $4,794         Purchase necessary
    Club/Maryetta        Okla.                          supplies to establish
    School                                              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       Lummi Island,   $8,850         Develop and maintain
    Farm                 Wash.                          a garden on the
                                                        grounds of Lummi
                                                        National School, which
                                                        is on the Lummi Indian
                                                        Reservation

    FOCUS Churches       Albany, N.Y.    $1,262         Expand their "Garden
    of Albany                                           in a Bucket" program
                                                        by 100 additional
                                                        families

    Gladstone Education  Gladstone,      $8,803         Develop gardening-
    Foundation           Ore.                           related curriculum
                                                        and train staff to
                                                        teach children about
                                                        gardening

    Homeless Garden      Santa Cruz,     $9,500         Pay for the water
    Project              Calif.                         necessary to sustain
                                                        their garden

    HOPE: Helping        Jacksonville,   $3,629         Purchase necessary
    Others Pursue        Texas                          gardening equipment
    Enrichment                                          and build a storage
                                                        unit to provide better
                                                        access to the garden

    Irving Park Carlson  Chicago         $4,371         Create a gathering
    Ministries                                          space in their garden
                                                        where cooking and
                                                        gardening instruction
                                                        can be offered to the
                                                        community

    Pennsylvania         Philadelphia    $9,985         Update their
    Horticultural                                       educational materials
    Society                                             and hold five
                                                        gardening
                                                        workshops for the
                                                        public

    Rogers Park Green    Chicago         $5,346         Purchase the necessary
    Space                                               supplies to maintain a
                                                        new organic garden

    United Teen          Lowell, Mass.   $10,000        Help train youth
    Equality Center                                     volunteers to run the
                                                        3/4 acre farm and sell
                                                        their harvest at the
                                                        local farmers market

    Wheeler School       Providence,     $3,780         Purchase necessary
                         R.I.                           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 .

About Gardenburger

Gardenburger(R) 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.

(1) Wall Street Journal Online, "How Much Can Growing a Vegetable Garden Save You?", Neal Templin, April 16, 2009

SOURCE Gardenburger

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.gardenburger.com