POTTSTOWN PA – Help to build Pottstown’s first community gardens is coming in financial form from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, the borough-based Mosaic Community Land Trust and Preservation Pottstown organizations announced Friday (Jan. 13, 2012).
The foundation has awarded a $30,000 grant to help the groups create 42 raised beds for vegetable- and flower-planting, and to install fencing, paths, a trellis, rain barrels, compost bins, benches, and a play area for children, all on property at 423 Chestnut St.
“We are honored and grateful to receive this (foundation) grant, which will allow us to complete (the garden) this spring,” said Mosaic President David Jackson. “The garden will greatly increase access to healthy foods, and already has many supporters in Pottstown and surrounding communities.”
Community gardens are a growing trend, particularly on vacant lots in urban areas, the land trust reports. They are viewed not only as a way for people who have limited access to full-service supermarkets for fresh produce to improve their nutrition, but also as a way for neighborhood residents to reconnect.
“Some of the additional benefits of a community garden include improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents, stimulating social interaction, beautification of the neighborhood, and improving opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education,” Jackson noted.
Users will pay a small annual membership fee for one of the small plots. Educational workshops will teach members how to garden and what tasks need to be completed throughout the entire growing season.
The gardens’ development is due to local partnerships between the foundation, the trust, Preservation Pottstown, the borough of Pottstown, Pottstown School District, Genesis Housing Corporation, Susquehanna Bank, Lowes Home Improvement, Davey Tree Experts, Lointerhome, and individual donors and volunteers, Jackson added.
Other coverage:
- Pottstown’s First Community Garden Gets Grant (Pottstown Patch)
Photo from Google Images
2 Responses to “Land Trust Wins Grant To Build Pottstown Gardens”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] Land Trust Wins Grant To Build Pottstown Gardens The Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation has awarded a $30,000 grant to two local organizations to build a community garden on Chestnut Street in the borough. [...]
[...] Land Trust Wins Grant To Build Pottstown Gardens The Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation has awarded a $30,000 grant to two local organizations to build a community garden on Chestnut Street in the borough. [...]