Donations: Who We Donate to and Why

Closer to Earth (CTE), a youth-run garden project in Oklahoma City, OK, received a $5,000 grant in 2010 to repair their greenhouse. CTE made crucial repairs to the greenhouse, and the gardeners grew greens and kale all winter. They sold half the produce to restaurants and donated the other half to a local food pantry that serves AIDS patients.

At Gardener's Supply, we believe that gardening can bring about positive change in people's lives, in our communities and in the environment. We donate 8% of our company profits to programs and organizations that are using gardening to improve the world. It's a commitment we made on our first day of business back in 1983.

We focus on nonprofit organizations that are working on gardening, sustainable agriculture, the environment and hunger-related causes.

Here's a roundup of key organizations we support, nationally and locally:

The Parsons Community Garden in Parsons, KS, started in 2010 on two city blocks of FEMA buyout land. By May of 2011, 187 plots, six accessible beds and one herb garden were established, providing space for 94 gardeners.

American Community Gardening Association (ACGA)

We offer grants to community gardens through the American Community Gardening Association, the oldest community gardening organization in the United States. ACGA provides leadership resources in the areas of advocacy, education and best practices. Its mission is to have a sustainable garden in every community.

Learn more in the article Community Gardening.

Green Education Foundation and the Green Thumb Challenge (GEF)

The Green Education Foundation is a nonprofit that prepares environmental education resources for Pre-K-12 classrooms and youth groups. They also provide free Pre-K-8 content, including standards-based lessons, fun activities, songs and book recommendations that link gardening to science, art, math and language arts.

The Green Thumb Challenge, a gardening initiative of GEF, has helped start over 6,000 school and youth gardens since 2009, and is well on its way to reaching toward its goal of 10,000 new gardens. Gardener's Supply offer garden grants through the Green Thumb Challenge.

Learn more in the article About the Green Education Foundation.

Plant A Row for the Hungry (PAR)

Since 1995, when Plant a Row was launched, American gardeners have donated more than 16 million pounds of produce to feed hungry residents in our local neighborhoods and communities. We support PAR's grassroots program that advocates the donation of surplus garden to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations that provide fresh food across the U.S.

Learn more in the article Share the Harvest.

The Intervale Center

We're proud of our backyard restoration of the Intervale, a piece of land in Burlington, VT. Under the stewardship and leadership of company founder Will Raap, and Gardener's Supply employee-owners, this land has undergone a complete transformation from a trash-filled wasteland to a nationally-recognized center for sustainable agriculture. Located adjacent to our corporate headquarters, the Intervale now hosts more than a dozen independent farms, producing almost 10 percent of our city's fresh produce.

Friends of Burlington Gardens and Healthy City Youth Initiative

Friends of Burlington Gardens is a nonprofit that supports a thriving network of community, school and neighborhood gardens accessible to Vermonters of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds. One of the group's programs, the Healthy City Youth Initiative, was recently named by the USDA as one of the top farm-to-school programs in the country.