Garden City Harvest Inc

GARDEN CITY HARVEST'S MISSION IS TO PLANT SEEDS AND GROW TOGETHER TO CREATE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY.

GARDEN CITY HARVEST WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1996 AS THE COMMUNITY'S ONLY PROACTIVE SOLUTION TO FOOD INSECURITY TO ENSURE PEOPLE COULD MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS FOR NUTRITIOUS FOOD. THE FARMING AND GARDENING NONPROFIT NOW MANAGES 21 FARMS, COMMUNITY GARDENS, AND SCHOOL GARDENS THROUGHOUT MISSOULA, MONTANA'S URBAN CORE. ITS MISSION IS CARRIED OUT THROUGH FOUR PROGRAMS THAT AFFECT MORE THAN 20,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS ANNUALLY.THE COMMUNITY GARDENS PROGRAM OFFERS COMMUNITY MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO AFFORDABLY GROW FOOD TO FEED THEIR OWN FAMILIES. ROUGHLY 65% OF PARTICIPANTS LIVE IN LOW TO MODERATE-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS WHERE BUDGETS ARE TIGHT. GARDEN CITY HARVEST PROVIDES THE INDIVIDUAL GARDEN PLOTS, TOOLS, WATER, COMPOST, AND THE KNOWLEDGE AND GUIDANCE OF OTHERS TO ENSURE GARDENERS' SUCCESS. EACH YEAR, THE ORGANIZATION RENTS ALMOST 400 GARDEN PLOTS AT 10 GARDEN LOCATIONS, PRIMARILY IN HIGH DENSITY, LOW TO MODERATE INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS.GARDEN CITY HARVEST'S FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM PROVIDES EXPERIENTIAL, HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO K-12 STUDENTS, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO EXPLORE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FARMING AND THE FOOD THEY EAT. FARM TO SCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS MANAGE EIGHT SCHOOL GARDENS, PROMOTE AND GROW LOCAL FOOD FOR SCHOOL LUNCHES, OFFER IN-CLASS LESSONS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND EDUCATIONAL FARM FIELD TRIPS AND GARDEN LESSONS DURING THE GROWING SEASON. THIS PROGRAM SERVES ROUGHLY 6,500 STUDENTS PER YEAR.THE NEIGHBORHOOD FARMS PROGRAM GROWS TONS OF FRESH PRODUCE AT FOUR URBAN FARMS, MAKING IT ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY. GARDEN CITY HARVEST USES ITS WELL-ESTABLISHED LOCAL FOOD DISTRIBUTION NETWORK OF PARTNER AGENCIES TO GET THIS FOOD TO MISSOULA'S MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS. GARDEN CITY HARVEST PROMOTES ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTICES AT ALL OF ITS SITES, WHICH HELPS TO LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.GARDEN CITY HARVEST'S YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM OFFERS EMPLOYMENT AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR ROUGHLY 50 TEENS ANNUALLY ON TWO OF ITS FARMS. THE TEENS, WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH OVERWHELMING PERSONAL CHALLENGES, LEARN JOB AND LIFE SKILLS, BUILD MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS, AND GAIN SELF-CONFIDENCE. THROUGH THIS WORK, THEY GAIN THE TOOLS TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.