{"id":114941,"date":"2021-10-25T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=114941"},"modified":"2021-10-25T13:22:08","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T18:22:08","slug":"mississippi-farm-to-school-network-introduces-at-home-garden-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/mississippi-farm-to-school-network-introduces-at-home-garden-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi Farm to School Network Introduces At-Home Garden Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Organization helps more than 1,500 families start home gardens<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mississippi Farm to School Network<\/strong> is dedicated to creating connections between Mississippi <\/strong>farmers and schools to help bring locally grown fruits and vegetables into cafeterias. It\u2019s a mission that not only creates new avenues of revenue for farmers, but also helps to teach kids about the importance of nutritionally dense foods.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen kids can get a taste of fruits and vegetables at school, then they often request those same foods on a trip to the grocery store with their parents,\u201d says Mississippi Farm to School Network<\/a> Co-Director Sunny Baker<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, when COVID-19 shut down schools in April 2020, the Mississippi Farm to School team\u2019s ability to work with schools was put on pause. This left Baker and fellow co-director Dorothy Grady-Scarborough<\/strong> looking for alternative methods of connecting with students and ensuring they could access fresh fruits and vegetables.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Grady-Scarborough and Baker decided to launch a home garden grant program.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the program, families with school-aged children across the state can apply for a $150 grant<\/a> to purchase the supplies they need \u2014 from soil and seeds to shovels and watering canisters \u2014 to start a home garden. The grant comes in the form of a gift card to an area nursery or home goods and gardening store. In addition, recipients are given a shopping list and instructions for starting their garden. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miracle Gro Garden Soil Trees & Shrubs<\/p><\/u><\/a>
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\u201cIt\u2019s very empowering for kids to grow their own food and contribute to their families. It\u2019s work, but it\u2019s very rewarding,\u201d says Grady-Scarborough, who made it her mission to find funding for the grant program. \u201cHome gardening gives families an activity they can do outside together and creates a food source that they have complete control over.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first application for home garden grants opened on a Friday in June and by Monday the organization had received more than 1,000 submissions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith a large number of applications and the funds to only grant 130 gardens for our first round, we decided to give them first come first serve to families,\u201d says Grady-Scarborough.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those first 130 grants were funded with help from the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi<\/strong> (CFNM). To help fulfill the requests for the remaining grant applicants, CFNM President Keith Fulcher<\/strong> assisted in aligning the cause with Robin Hurdle<\/strong> from The Maddox Foundation<\/strong> to continue support for the program, along with the Kellogg Foundation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were excited that the Maddox Foundation stepped up to support Dorothy\u2019s efforts to provide gardens in all 82 Mississippi counties,\u201d says Fulcher. \u201cThat\u2019s a tremendous accomplishment that Dorothy achieved with their support.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOYUEE Raised Planter Box with Legs Outdoor Elevated Garden Bed On Wheels for Vegetables Flower Herb Patio<\/p><\/u><\/a>
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This funding also helped Mississippi Farm to School Network open the grant applications again in September, and the response again drove more than 1,000 familes to apply.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grady-Scarborough and Baker want to fill each request and hope to make home garden grants part of Mississippi Farm to School Networks’ ongoing mission.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to give a home garden grant to every family with children in Mississippi that wants them,\u201d Grady-Scarborough said. \u201cAnd then if they need help keeping their garden up or want to buy supplies to plant different crops, we want to help as well.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help fund the ongoing grant program, Mississippi Farm to School Network has launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe. Every dollar donated with help to supply future garden grants.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t take much to help a family get their garden growing,\u201d said Baker.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to donate to Mississippi Farm to School Network\u2019s home garden grant fund, visit the GoFundMe page<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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