Grants
2013 SUMMIT COUNTY MASTER GARDENER
PARTNER GRANT
The Master Gardeners of Summit County awarded the following grants in 2013 to community organizations through the TOUR OF GARDEN’S PARTNERS GRANTS:
A new grant of $1,000 was awarded to the Springfield Township Parks Department for theRaised Bed and Rain Garden Demonstration Garden for Springfield Township project to construct a raised bed garden and a rain garden demonstration site. The purpose of the raised bed component is to show the increased productivity possible using raised beds and season stretching techniques. The rain garden component will teach residents how to build and use rain barrels and rain gardens. One of the beds will be elevated to show the gardening possibilities for mobility impaired persons. The garden will be constructed in Lake Front Park and be built and maintained by the Springfield Township Parks Board. The produce from the garden(s) will be used by the Township’s Senior Citizen and Community Center (S&CC) for their low cost meals program.
A new grant of $500 was awarded to Richardson Elementary School for the Gather in the Garden project to support and sustain the creation of an outdoor raised bed garden for the students at Richardson Elementary School in Cuyahoga Falls. The garden will provide opportunities for students to observe plant growth and life cycles. The students will become active participants in planting, tending, and harvesting garden produce. This project will be a valuable resource for teaching healthy food choices and developing an appreciation for fresh grown fruits and vegetables.
A new grant of $461.73 was awarded to the Pilgrim United Church of Christ for thePilgrim Community Garden project to create a community garden this summer to promote healthy food choices, raise awareness of how our food choices affect our health and our environment, and to provide its Free Community Lunch Program with some healthy produce to serve to our patrons. This project will involve church members of all ages, and the community.
A new grant of $375 was awarded to Christ Church Episcopal for the Harvest of Hope Garden project to enable members of its youth group to learn to grow vegetables by doing just that. They will be contributing the produce to their church’s monthly dinner for the community and to the Akron Food Bank. A Master Gardener will be their mentor, and the church staff and families will support the project.
A new grant of $995 was awarded to Heart for the City United Methodist Church for theH4TC Gardening Education and Nutrition Program project in order to develop a site in an urban area to grow fresh, organic, food produce which will be distributed along with dry goods at an associated Food Pantry and also used at a Community Lunch held on the 3rd and 4th Saturdays of each month, respectively. During the growing season, elementary school age children from another associated program – ‘Wednesday Club’, will participate in caring for the crops as well food preparation for a lunch meal. They will also be given a separate plot to grow and care for their own plants. Finally, a food preparation program will be presented during Community Lunch days where a nutritionist will demonstrate simple, but nutritious, recipes using the vegetables grown in the garden.
A new grant of $969.15 was awarded to Crouse CLC for the Crouse CLC School/Community Garden, to enlarge its garden to meet the growth of its student body and community interest. Its academic goals are to provide its students with an outdoor research lab to enhance its academic curriculum. The garden provides an educational environment for the students and community. It provides a place for neighbors to meet and share a common interest in gardening and provide healthy food for their families; supplies community members with the knowledge they need to garden, and makes gardening accessible to all of our community members.
A new grant of $1,000 was awarded to the Personal Health Partner (PHP) Program for theCultivating Health and Nutrition through Gardening Education (CHANGE)project to teach low-income seniors and disabled persons in subsidized housing how to grow vegetables in containers on their apartment balconies. In addition the project plans to teach them to identify and prepare nutritious recipes utilizing the produce they grow themselves. The grant will enable the purchase of materials so residents can be taught container gardening techniques and to prepare simple nutritious recipes using the produce from their container gardens.
A renewal grant of $500 was awarded to the Richfield Branch Library for theNatureConnect Place at the Richfield Branch Library project to renew and expand the nature learning spaces, both indoors and out, at the Richfield Branch Library (rural/suburban community and an agency of the Akron-Summit County Public Library) as a means to offer programs and services to the community on nature and nature literacy with trained and knowledgeable staff.
A renewal grant of $500 was awarded to the Blick Clinic for the Therapeutic Garden Experience with Developmental Disabilities project to expand its programs to help adults with developmental disabilities in Blick Clinic’s Day Programs to experience the joys and challenges of planting, tending and harvesting garden produce. Those with both mental and/or physical disabilities of all functioning levels will participate in the “garden experience” through cooking, crafting, healthy eating, sensory experiences, and the pride of participating in a garden plot from planning to fruition.
A renewal grant of $500 was awarded to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron forThe Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron Community Garden project to expand its programs with the addition of an adult educational program that will teachadults about organic gardening, ethical eating and hunger issues in our community. While maintaining its garden organically and ethically, adults will have the opportunity to learn about composting, vermiculture, seed-planting, and irrigation, as well as harvesting and food preservation for use in community programs.
