Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Pledges to Transform Vacant Lot Space Through 'Lots of Compassion' Multi-Year Investment

Launching with "Abbott Elementary" star Tyler James Williams, along with non-profit partners, 'Lots of Compassion' harnesses the power of the garden to plant seeds of kindness in communities across the country

SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, on National Gardening Day, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day is working with actor Tyler James Williams to announce its new Lots of Compassion initiative. Knowing that untended and vacant spaces can negatively impact communities with decreased mental and physical health, feelings of lacking community trust and compassion and more^1,2, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day worked with non-profit partners to create the Lots of Compassion program, calling on people to use the power of the garden to inspire change.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9146051-mrs-meyers-clean-day-tyler-james-williams-launch-lots-of-compassion-initiative/

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day knows the garden has the power to do more than create thoughtful home and personal care products, it can inspire thoughtfulness in people, too. A recent study shows that two-thirds of Americans perceive that the US has a 'Compassion Gap,'³ and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day sees an opportunity to enact change by using the power of the garden to transform vacant lot space across the county and inspire people to plant seeds of kindness in their communities, serving as a visual reminder that compassion is indeed blooming. Working with "Abbott Elementary" star Tyler James Williams, known for his compassionate work both on-and-off screen, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day created two opportunities to join the mission:

• People can support the Lots of Compassion program by purchasing the now nationally available Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Compassion Flower products, with $1 from each product sold on MrsMeyers.com and Grove.co (up to $200K annually), benefitting community garden efforts throughout the country. Through the Lots of Compassion initiative, Mrs. Meyer's is pledging to provide up to $1 million from Compassion Flower product sales to support community garden transformations over the next five years.
• Those interested in receiving funds to transform vacant or untended land into gardens for community growth, such as community organizations, non-profits and others working in the community garden space, can apply online for a grant at www.mrsmeyers.com/compassion. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day has a long-standing relationship with national non-profit KidsGardening.org, who will be facilitating the Lots of Compassion grants to chosen applicants.

"My Abbot Elementary on-screen character, Gregory Eddie, has an aptitude for gardening and lends a hand to his co-workers to create and maintain a school garden to help their students. I believe every school, neighborhood and community should be able to benefit from people like Gregory – those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and put in the care to grow something greater for tomorrow," said Tyler James Williams. "I'm honored to be partnering with Mrs. Meyer's to launch Lots of Compassion and will be personally donating to the cause. I look forward to seeing how these gardens will inspire compassion in communities across the country."

Introducing the First Lot of Compassion
Mrs. Meyer's has teamed up with the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative to build the very first Lots of Compassion garden in the Woodlawn neighborhood in Chicago. The Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative is a non-profit organization that attracts and coordinates investment through community convening and collaborative partnerships that increase local ownership and prosperity. The first Lot of Compassion is part of Emerald South Collab's Terra Firma program, which uses vacant land as an engine of opportunity to create jobs, grow small businesses, improve the local environment, and enhance neighbors' quality of life. Site Design, a Chicago-based award-winning landscape architecture firm, led the design of the garden which was then planted by friends of the Woodlawn neighborhood, involving the local community on all fronts to bring this space to life. It features a mural painted by Brandon Breaux, creative director for Emerald South Collaborative and multi-disciplinary artist.

 As a part of Mrs. Meyer's ongoing commitment to the Woodlawn Lot of Compassion, Mrs. Meyer's will continue partnering with Emerald South Collaborative through 2025 and beyond to support community engagement and activities hosted at the garden site. 

"One of the greatest but often overlooked assets of our neighborhoods is our land. By investing our time and resources into improving the land through our Terra Firma program, we make that value visible and accessible for our communities," said Ghian Foreman, President and CEO of Emerald South Collaborative. "Community spaces like Woodlawn's Lot of Compassion spark the imagination and allow people to dream of what's possible from the simple act of planting a flower. I look forward to continuing to partner with Mrs. Meyer's to support community engagement in our Lots of Compassion garden site."

Meet the Compassion Flower Product Line
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day worked with horticulturalists at PanAmerican Seed to create the Compassion Flower, a first-of-its-kind hybrid between the spreading Viola and Pansy, to serve as a daily reminder that, just like washing your hands, practicing compassion and kindness is a good daily habit. The sweet, floral notes of the unique Compassion Flower inspired the now-permanent Compassion Flower scented products, available in Hand Soap, Dish Soap, Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner and more in major national retailers including Grove.co and MrsMeyers.com.

To learn more about the Compassion Flower product line, visit www.mrsmeyers.com/scent/compassion-flower.

For further details on the Lots of Compassion program, visit www.mrsmeyers.com/compassion.

ABOUT MRS. MEYER'S CLEAN DAY 
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day was inspired by Thelma A. Meyer, a real-life Iowa homemaker and mother of nine, who cherished her backyard garden and believed in a better way to care for her home. Inspired by the down-to-earth values of her mother, her daughter launched Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products, which not only smell delightful but work hard and clean like the dickens. Mrs. Meyer's garden-inspired line offers a variety of products for home care to body care; including lotions, soaps, surface cleaners, room sprays, candles and laundry items. Products are made with essential oils, plant-derived and other thoughtfully chosen ingredients that are powerful against dirt and grime while being a pleasure to use. Garden-inspired scents add a little spring to your step while you care for your home. We all have to clean--let's make the very best of it. Find the latest products and scents from Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day at mrsmeyers.com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook @mrsmeyerscleanday, Twitter @MrsMeyersClean and YouTube at Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day.

Media Contact: 
Katherine Boncher, Zeno Group
[email protected] 

¹ AO Bowman, MA Pagano Terra Incognita: Vacant Land and Urban Strategies (Georgetown Univ Press, Washington, DC, 2010).
² C Nickerson, R Ebel, A Borchers, F Carriazo, Major uses of land in the United States, 2007 (USDA Economic Research Service, Washington, DC), EIB-89. (2011).
³ GFK CONSUMER LIFE 2021

SOURCE Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day