Grow Local Colorado is a group of volunteers dedicated to promoting local food, local community, and local economy.
2013 Planting Season Begins...
Huston Lake Park garden is planted.... Only 9 more to go!
...with a special, "Thank You", to Welby Gardens, VOC and Chipotle!
...with a special, "Thank You", to Welby Gardens, VOC and Chipotle!
Four Years of Growth
Grow Local Colorado started with a bang in the spring of 2009. Partnering with Denver Parks and Recreation, Slow Food Denver, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Denver Urban Gardens, we planted our first garden. It was front and center in our community, Denver's Civic Center Park. The garden was a huge success. Not only did the garden provide fresh produce to The Gathering Place and Urban Peak Youth Shelter, it provided a beautiful example of how attractive vegetable gardens can be. And we haven't stopped growing since.
In 2012 we continued to partner with a variety of organizations and businesses to promote local food, local community and local economy. Huston Lake Park's garden is a perfect example of what a community can do when we pool our resources. Denver Parks and Recreation (www.denvergov.org/parksandrec) sees the benefits of allowing some of their flower beds to be converted into vegetable gardens. Huston Lake's three gardens are the largest in our system. Groundwork Denver's (www.groundworkdenver.org) work crew of teens helped us prepare these beds for planting in mid May. Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (www.voc.org) provides volunteers to help us plant our gardens. In 2012 they matched us up with AOL's MapQuest team to plant at Huston Lake Park. AOL's 40 employees planted 4,500 seedlings in less than two hours. Crossroads of the Rockies (www.crossroadsoftherockies.org) makes sure these gardens are weeded and harvested throughout the summer months. They have teen campers from across the country spend part of their week in Denver tending these gardens and then distributing the produce harvested via Crossroads' food pantry. Crossroads staff also demonstrates to their food pantry clients how to prepare this nutritious produce. In the fall a small group of Grow Local Colorado volunteers then put these gardens to bed. As a thank you they were provided with delicious burritos from Chipotle Mexican Grill (www.chipotle.com). This chronicle of Huston Lake's gardeners is a perfect illustration that it takes a village to grow a garden.
From one garden in 2009 to eight gardens in 2012, Grow Local is showing by example the need for and benefits of more locally grown food and we couldn't do it without all these wonderful groups. We plan on even bigger and better gardens and events in 2013. If you'd like to get involved, contact us at GrowLocalColorado@gmail.com.
In 2012 we continued to partner with a variety of organizations and businesses to promote local food, local community and local economy. Huston Lake Park's garden is a perfect example of what a community can do when we pool our resources. Denver Parks and Recreation (www.denvergov.org/parksandrec) sees the benefits of allowing some of their flower beds to be converted into vegetable gardens. Huston Lake's three gardens are the largest in our system. Groundwork Denver's (www.groundworkdenver.org) work crew of teens helped us prepare these beds for planting in mid May. Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (www.voc.org) provides volunteers to help us plant our gardens. In 2012 they matched us up with AOL's MapQuest team to plant at Huston Lake Park. AOL's 40 employees planted 4,500 seedlings in less than two hours. Crossroads of the Rockies (www.crossroadsoftherockies.org) makes sure these gardens are weeded and harvested throughout the summer months. They have teen campers from across the country spend part of their week in Denver tending these gardens and then distributing the produce harvested via Crossroads' food pantry. Crossroads staff also demonstrates to their food pantry clients how to prepare this nutritious produce. In the fall a small group of Grow Local Colorado volunteers then put these gardens to bed. As a thank you they were provided with delicious burritos from Chipotle Mexican Grill (www.chipotle.com). This chronicle of Huston Lake's gardeners is a perfect illustration that it takes a village to grow a garden.
From one garden in 2009 to eight gardens in 2012, Grow Local is showing by example the need for and benefits of more locally grown food and we couldn't do it without all these wonderful groups. We plan on even bigger and better gardens and events in 2013. If you'd like to get involved, contact us at GrowLocalColorado@gmail.com.
Join our NEW Google Group
Grow Local Colorado is no longer sending out email newsletters.
We now have a listserv which will serve as a "Virtual Town Hall" so we can share information with each other!
Come join the fun!
Click the envelope above to send an eMail to join our NEW Google Group
or send an eMail to:
growlocalcolorado+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Questions?
Email: Dana@GrowLocalColorado.org
We now have a listserv which will serve as a "Virtual Town Hall" so we can share information with each other!
Come join the fun!
Click the envelope above to send an eMail to join our NEW Google Group
or send an eMail to:
growlocalcolorado+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Questions?
Email: Dana@GrowLocalColorado.org
3,128 Pounds and Counting!
Here in Denver the grow season is quickly coming to an end. On October 3rd our temperatures went from 82F to 40F in less than five hours. The end of the season is a welcome relief for our many volunteers. They put in 1,338 hours this grow season. Of those, 366 hours were youth helping plant, weed and harvest throughout this record breaking hot summer. All those gardening hours mean that our neighbors that would not normally have the luxury to include fresh, organic produce in their diets, have had that opportunity this summer and fall. So we are not just growing healthy food but also growing our community and growing our economy (all of our supplies are locally sourced).
Grow Local Colorado's partnership with Produce for Pantries has also been successful in getting locally grown produce to food pantries. Produce for Pantries connects home gardeners, school gardens and community gardens with food pantries in their neighborhoods. Currently 40% of vegetables grown in U.S. gardens ends up in landfills. Our goal is to see that nutritious food go to our neighbors in need. To get involved, contact Produce for Pantries at: ProduceForPantries@gmail.com.
Grow Local Colorado's partnership with Produce for Pantries has also been successful in getting locally grown produce to food pantries. Produce for Pantries connects home gardeners, school gardens and community gardens with food pantries in their neighborhoods. Currently 40% of vegetables grown in U.S. gardens ends up in landfills. Our goal is to see that nutritious food go to our neighbors in need. To get involved, contact Produce for Pantries at: ProduceForPantries@gmail.com.
Harvest from Governor's Mansion
by St John's Episcopal Church volunteers
by St John's Episcopal Church volunteers
PRODUCE FOR PANTRIES
ADDRESSES INCREASING HUNGER
IN DENVER METRO AREA
Organizations Come Together to Increase Availability of Garden Grown Produce in Local Food Pantries
In response to the growing number of people visiting Denver area food pantries and to increase access to healthy and fresh produce for all, area organizations have come together to create Produce for Pantries. A project of Cooking Matters, Grow Local Colorado, Denver Urban Gardens, Slow Food Denver, Plant a Row for The Hungry, Livewell Colorado, Food Bank of the Rockies, Metro CareRing, Yardharvest, and St. John's Cathedral, Produce for Pantries connects food pantries with school gardens, community gardens, and home gardens in their neighborhoods to provide locally grown and healthy food and nutrition education to those in need. Through Yardharvest, food pantries will also be connected with fruit gleaned from residents' trees who have an excess they would like to donate.
A total of twenty-three Denver area pantries are involved as pilot sites for 2012. Those pantries are being connected with school gardens via Slow Food Denver, community gardens via Denver Urban Gardens, and home gardens via a media campaign. As well as receiving fresh produce, food pantries will be provided with easy, nutritious bilingual recipes to accompany the produce, information on safe food handling and storage for the fresh produce, as well as on-site cooking classes.
"In the world's wealthiest nation no child should go hungry, but one in five children in America struggles with hunger" says Cooking Matters' Megan Bradley, "and Produce for Pantries recognizes that one of the main hurdles to healthy eating can be access to local nutritious foods. You can't get more local than food grown in the neighborhood of food pantries."
Produce for Pantries "connects the dots" by bringing together youth growing produce in school gardens, residents growing in community gardens, and citizens growing vegetables in home gardens to help nourish their neighbors in need, thereby strengthening and enriching Denver's diverse neighborhoods. Residents are encouraged to email produceforpantries@gmail.com to connect with their nearest participating food pantry, and to register their fruit trees online at www.yardharvest.org if they would like to donate their excess fruit to nearby food pantries.
In response to the growing number of people visiting Denver area food pantries and to increase access to healthy and fresh produce for all, area organizations have come together to create Produce for Pantries. A project of Cooking Matters, Grow Local Colorado, Denver Urban Gardens, Slow Food Denver, Plant a Row for The Hungry, Livewell Colorado, Food Bank of the Rockies, Metro CareRing, Yardharvest, and St. John's Cathedral, Produce for Pantries connects food pantries with school gardens, community gardens, and home gardens in their neighborhoods to provide locally grown and healthy food and nutrition education to those in need. Through Yardharvest, food pantries will also be connected with fruit gleaned from residents' trees who have an excess they would like to donate.
A total of twenty-three Denver area pantries are involved as pilot sites for 2012. Those pantries are being connected with school gardens via Slow Food Denver, community gardens via Denver Urban Gardens, and home gardens via a media campaign. As well as receiving fresh produce, food pantries will be provided with easy, nutritious bilingual recipes to accompany the produce, information on safe food handling and storage for the fresh produce, as well as on-site cooking classes.
"In the world's wealthiest nation no child should go hungry, but one in five children in America struggles with hunger" says Cooking Matters' Megan Bradley, "and Produce for Pantries recognizes that one of the main hurdles to healthy eating can be access to local nutritious foods. You can't get more local than food grown in the neighborhood of food pantries."
Produce for Pantries "connects the dots" by bringing together youth growing produce in school gardens, residents growing in community gardens, and citizens growing vegetables in home gardens to help nourish their neighbors in need, thereby strengthening and enriching Denver's diverse neighborhoods. Residents are encouraged to email produceforpantries@gmail.com to connect with their nearest participating food pantry, and to register their fruit trees online at www.yardharvest.org if they would like to donate their excess fruit to nearby food pantries.
We wanted to say, "Thank you", to
LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
for all their generosity
so we descended on their store in Cherry Creek Mall.
LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
for all their generosity
so we descended on their store in Cherry Creek Mall.
2011 Growing Season Numbers
Thanks to our volunteers putting in 827 hours, we grew 2,789 pounds of produce for 8 communities in need.
The total value of donated produce was $5,018.
Thank you Grow Local Colorado volunteers!
The total value of donated produce was $5,018.
Thank you Grow Local Colorado volunteers!
About UsGrow Local Colorado was founded in 2009 by representatives of Transition Denver, Mile High Business Alliance, and Denver Botanic Gardens. Since then community partnerships formed with organizations such as 910Arts, Denver Urban Gardens, Slow Food Denver, Sustainable Food Denver, The GrowHaus, Beanstalk Foundation, Feed Denver, Volunteers of Outdoor Colorado, among many others.
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