The Seeds Of Change® Grant Program Awards $200,000 To Support Sustainable Community And School Garden Programs Across The United States

RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, Calif., May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeds of Change®, the leading producer of sustainably grown seeds and nutritious organic foods, is proud to announce the 34 recipients of the 2015 Seeds of Change® Grant Program. The recipients are comprised of 17 community garden programs and 17 school programs. The four organizations to receive the $20,000 grants are the Franklinton Gardens in Columbus, Ohio; Sioux YMCA Learning Garden in Dupree, S.D.; Medomak Valley High School Heirloom Seed Project in Waldoboro, Maine; and Central Road School Garden in Rolling Meadow, Ill.

An additional 10 organizations – five schools and five community gardens – will receive $10,000 grants and 20 additional organizations – 10 schools and 10 community gardens – will receive $1,000 grants to support new or existing community-based gardening and sustainable farming programs. Each award recipient has developed a program that empowers their communities to grow healthier, more sustainable food from seed to plate.  The following recipients were selected to receive $10,000 and $1,000 grants:

School Programs

• EUSD Farm Lab in Encinitas, Calif. ($10,000)
• Garden of Life at Rowayton School in Norwalk, Conn. ($10,000)
• Grange Middle School Community Garden in Fairfield, Calif. ($10,000)
• Morris Hills High School HOPE Club Garden in Rockaway, N.J. ($10,000)
• W.S. Hornsby K-8 School Garden in Augusta, Ga. ($10,000)
• Burbank School District 111 Seeds of Knowledge Garden in Burbank, Ill. ($1,000)
• Castle Gardens in Castle Hayne, N.C. ($1,000)
• FoodPrints School Gardens in Washington, District of Columbia ($1,000)
• Garden of Wonders in Portland, Ore. ($1,000)
• Highland's Desert Garden:  An Outdoor Educational Environment in Mesa, Ariz. ($1,000)
• Madrone Trail Public Charter School Edible Landscape in Medford, Ore. ($1,000)
• Ridge Road Middle School Garden in Charlotte, N.C. ($1,000)
• Rochambeau Middle School Vegetable Garden in Southbury, Conn. ($1,000)
• Roots Of Responsibility in Molalla, Ore. ($1,000)
• Spark-Y FAIR School Aquaponics In Action in Minneapolis, Minn. ($1,000)

Community Organizations

• Athens Land Trust West Broad Market Garden in Athens, Ga. ($10,000)
• Genesis Garden in La Grange, Ky. ($10,000)
• McPherson Playground Community Garden in Lowell, Mass. ($10,000)
• Norwell Farms in Norwell, Mass. ($10,000)
• Pillwillop Therapeutic Farm-Garden At the Woods in Wolcott, Conn. ($10,000)
• Chino Valley Community Garden in Chino Valley, Ariz. ($1,000)
• Danny Woo Community Garden in Seattle, Wash. ($1,000)
• Educational Alliance Sirovich Hydroponic Garden and Cafe in New York, N.Y. ($1,000)
• Growing Goodwill Community Garden in Roanoke, Va. ($1,000)
• Oakhurst Garden in Decatur, Ga. ($1,000)
• Petaluma Bounty Community Farm in Petaluma, Calif. ($1,000)
• St. Mary's Community Garden in Bayside, N.Y. ($1,000)
• SustainAbility Farm in Accord, N.Y. ($1,000)
• The Torch Garden in Pinckney, Mich. ($1,000)
• Trinity Alliance Albany NY Settlement House Garden in Albany, N.Y. ($1,000)

The Seeds of Change® Grant Program is funded by the brand's 1% Fund, the company's commitment to donate one percent of net sales to support sustainable, community-based nutrition, gardening and farming programs. The 34 organizations were selected from hundreds of applicants nationwide and funding was split to support both community and school programs. More than 200,000 votes were cast by individuals to determine the top 50 finalists before a panel of judges evaluated those applications and selected the final award recipients.  

"We're proud to see so many organizations with our shared values and passion for sustainable gardening, and we're honored to be a part of their seed-to-plate stories," said Lara McCauley, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Mars Food North America, parent company of Seeds of Change®. "This Grant Program helps position groups to build healthier communities through gardens."

For more information about Seeds of Change® or the Seeds of Change® Grant Program, please visit www.seedsofchangegrant.com. Fans of the organic food movement can also follow the program on social media by tracking #SeedsofChangeGrant and by visiting the brand's Facebook or Twitter pages.

About Seeds of Change®
Seeds of Change® was founded in 1989 by passionate gardeners with a vision to make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the "advances" of modern industrial agriculture. For 26 years, we have remained true to our original vision by offering a wide selection of organic seeds including heirloom, traditional, and rare seeds. Our seeds are produced through a network of certified organic family farms and professional growers. Through these partnerships, we continually cultivate, study and develop seeds with the goal of producing the finest certified organic varieties to share with our fellow gardeners and farmers. In 1997 our business expanded to also include Organic Food inspired by the notion that great taste and sustainability go hand in hand.  We now offer a wide variety of Ready to Heat organic Rice and Grain varieties as well as organic cooking sauces.  For more information about Seeds of Change® visit www.seedsofchange.com for our seed products and www.seedsofchangefoods.com for our food products. For additional information, please contact us at the information provided above or at Seeds of Change, P.O. Box 4908, Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220.

Contact: Matt Hurst
805-403-3932
[email protected]

Sarah Stanley
202-256-0456
[email protected]

SOURCE Seeds of Change

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