ScottsMiracle-Gro Celebrates First Day of Spring, Announces GRO1000 Grassroots Grant Award Winners

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, March 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As gardeners across the country prepare for Spring today, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NSYE: SMG) proudly announced the recipients of the 2013 GRO1000 Grassroots Grants. Over 130 grants were awarded to help neighborhood organizations across the nation plant a community garden or green space. The Grassroots Grants are part of the larger GRO1000 Gardens and Green Space Program, which is ScottsMiracle-Gro's commitment to create more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces worldwide by 2018.

"It's been rewarding to see how GRO1000 has impacted the lives of people and their communities since the program began three years ago," said Jim King, ScottsMiracle-Gro's Chief Communications Officer. "We're honored to partner with so many groups that want to make a difference by bringing community gardens and greenscapes to their cities." 

GRO1000 funds have supported local beautification projects, public service opportunities and produce donations in more than 245 communities across the U.S., Canada and Europe. The grants are awarded to non-profit, civic organizations that are working to create or sustain public greenscapes in their communities. A full list of this year's recipients can be found at www.GroGood.com/GiveBacktoGro/GRO1000/Grassroots.

"We were able to use funds from our GRO1000 Grassroots Grant Award to support the low-income region of Oberlin, Ohio, through our community garden," said Hannah Wolfman-Arent, the 2012 Community Garden Manager for Zion Community Development Corporation. "The harvest donation and a focus on healthy eating habits benefited more than 100 local residents in 2012."

In addition to the Grassroot Grants, ScottsMiracle-Gro and its national partners, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Plant A Row for the Hungry, the Garden Writers Association, the National Gardening Association and Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, will build public community gardens and green spaces in Sacramento; Fort Worth; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Bridgeport, Conn.; and Cincinnati in 2013.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro
With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business. Visit us at www.scotts.com.

SOURCE ScottsMiracle-Gro