Food Well Alliance awards 50 community garden leaders with investment to build healthier communities

Community gardens in Atlanta are transforming not only the way we grow and live in our communities, but also how we eat by providing access to locally grown food in urban neighborhoods.

Food Well Alliance is committed to supporting Atlanta’s community gardens so they can thrive and continue building healthier communities for us.

Last year, we announced the Community Garden Grant as an additional resource for community gardens after listening to garden leaders who shared their need for more resources such as funding for infrastructure improvements to sustain their gardens.

Through the 2017 Community Garden Grant, Food Well Alliance is pleased to award a total of $75,000 to support 50 neighborhood leaders and the long-term sustainability of their community gardens.

Each grant recipient will receive $1,500 to complete infrastructure or improvement projects on their gardens such as purchasing tools and signage, on raised bed construction and repair and on developing a compost system.

The gardens awarded this year are located in urban neighborhoods across Fulton, Dekalb, Cobb, Clayton and Gwinnett counties and are increasing neighborhood vitality by growing food.

Application Insights:

• 70% of community gardens were established since 2010

• 31% of applicants reported a garden size of 1 acre or more

• 41% of applicants reported a garden size of .25 acre or less

• 69% of applicants reported that they currently compost on site

• Average garden membership size is 27 members with an average of 20 individual households growing at a typical garden

• 60% of applicants attended a Leaders Growing Community Garden, a two-day workshop focused on leadership development

Food Well Alliance is delighted to support community gardens as they continue to transform how we eat, grow and live in community.

To learn more about the Community Garden Grant visit here.