Press Releases Archives - Page 4 of 5

Gateway Greening Announces Expansion of the Emerson Friends and Family Community Garden in Ferguson, MO

Posted on December 14, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (23 Nov 2016) –The Emerson Friends and Family Youth Garden in Ferguson, MO was expanded on 5 Oct 2016 as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Four raised beds were installed and filled with soil. The award also included 1 picnic table, 1 wooden bench, 1 toolshet, 2 handtool sets, 2 shovels, 2 hard rakes, 2 garden hoes, 2 digging forks, 1 wheelbarrow, and 1 watering hose.

The Emerson Friends & Family Youth Garden will be able to grow 100 lbs of produce annually, on average. All produce will be informally distributed throughout the local community.

“Gateway Greening has been a blessing to the Emerson Family YMCA O.G.’s (Organic Gardeners) Club. By providing us with a grant to revitalize our community garden. Gateway Greening has really set us up to have an effective garden to be a better resource for the North County Community. Gateway Greening provided support & supplies to professionalize our garden process with tools, a shed and four additional garden beds which has enhanced our ability to grow more healthy fruits & vegetables for our community and to be a resource especially for our youth by helping to educate and empower them through gardening. This partnership has been a win-win for The Emerson Family YMCA O.G.’s to produce a good healthy garden for North County!” – Phedra Nelson, Community Wellness Director, Gateway Region YMCA.

For 30 years, Gateway Greening has educated and empowered individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening’s Garden Program receives many requests to start or expand community gardens in St. Louis. Projects are selected based on a number of factors including: need, the quality of the garden space, the level of community support, and the thoroughness of the plan for using the garden space. Awarded sites are typically supported with seeds/plants, garden tools, materials (hardscape and landscape), and guidance.

The Emerson Friends & Family Youth Garden is located at 3390 Pershall Rd, Ferguson, MO 63135.

(PHOTOS ATTACHED)

About Gateway Greening

Gateway Greening is a nonprofit organization that educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening has been working to provide creative, grassroots solutions to urban problems since 1984. Programs include supporting more than 200 community and youth-focused gardens across the St. Louis area through educational opportunities, garden supplies and technical assistance; and Gateway Greening’s Urban Farm, a 2.5-acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program. Visit Gateway Greening at www.gatewaygreening.org. @gatewaygreening.

###

Gateway Greening Announces Expansion of Columbia CEC Elementary School Garden in St. Louis, MO.

Posted on December 14, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis 23 Nov 2016 –Columbia CEC Elementary School Garden in St. Louis, MO was expanded on 16 Nov 2016 as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Items received included: One 3-bin composter, 1 compost bin sign, 1 garden scale, 12 hand tool sets, 3 shovels, 2 garden hoes, 2 hard rakes, 2 digging forks, 1 sprinkler, 1 wheelbarrow, and 1 watering hose.

Columbia CEC Elementary School Garden has 5 adult gardeners from the community and with the student of Columbia Elementary School, the garden will be able to grow 650 lbs of produce annually, on average. The produce is sold locally, used by the gardeners, and informally distributed to the local community.

“There is nothing that Gateway Greening won’t do to help us have successful gardening experiences available for our students. They have provided labor, materials and educational resources….AND one of them got their spouse involved in delivering extremely large and heavy tree stumps for our school’s stump circle project!” – Cynthia Schaefer, Garden Leader at Columbia CEC Elementary School Garden.

Columbia CEC Elementary School Garden is located at 2722 N. Garrison in St. Louis, MO 63106.

About Gateway Greening

###

Gateway Greening Announces the Expansion of Clarence Clovers Community Garden

Posted on December 14, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (22 Nov 2016) –Clarence Clovers Community Garden in St. Louis, MO was expanded on 8 Oct 2016 as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Five raised beds were installed and filled with soil. The garden was also awarded 1 garden scale.

Clarence Clovers Community Garden has 12 gardeners from the community and as a group, the garden will be able to grow 400 lbs of produce annually, on average. The produce will be used by the gardeners and informally distributed throughout the community.

“Gateway Greening’s assistance has been critical in the establishment of Clarence Clovers Community Garden. They have provided guidance setting up the organization of garden, materials for its infrastructure, and initial planting materials. They continue to be a valued resource for gardening practices.” -Michael Harris, Garden Leader at Clarence Clovers Community Garden.

The Clarence Clovers Community Garden is located at 4528 Clarence Ave., St. Louis, MO 63115.

About Gateway Greening

###

Gateway Greening Announces Expansion of Cabrini Greens School Garden

Posted on December 14, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (7 Dec 2016) –Cabrini Greens School Garden in St. Louis, MO was expanded in Spring of 2016 as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Four wooden picnic tables were installed. An additional four wooden benches and one watering hose were awarded.

Cabrini Greens has 9 adult gardeners from the community and with the students of St. Frances Cabrini Academy, the garden will be able to grow 470lbs of produce annually, on average.

“Our Gateway Greening garden has allowed us to expand our classrooms to the outdoors. We are a city school that had no green spaces in which the children can play, but with our garden, that has all changed. It is a pure joy to see my middle school students giggle with glee when they find a worm in the soil, dig up a humongous sweet potato, or get excited about eating something they grew… even if it is something they don’t normally eat. Our expansion grant provided us with picnic tables and benches that have made our outdoor garden easier to use with large classes. The tables and benches are used as gathering places for instructions and post-harvesting tasks. “ – Garden Leader Elizabeth DeBoo

The Cabrini Greens School Garden is located at 2906 California Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118.

About Gateway Greening

Chefs in a Garden Fundraiser Showcases Local Food and Chefs

Posted on August 19, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis Chefs use locally grown ingredients to create a benefit meal for Gateway Greening

ST. LOUIS, MO. (August 18, 2016) — St. Louis’ best chefs are cooking with local produce grown at The Gateway Greening Urban Farm, community gardens and other local farms. Gateway Greening, a non-profit organization in St. Louis, educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening will host the 19th annual Chefs in a Garden Gala on Sunday, September 11 from 6:00pm-9:00pm at the event’s new venue, the Four Seasons St. Louis. The event’s media partner is St. Louis Magazine and producer is Synergy Productions. Sponsors of the event include Centene, Commerce Bank, Husch Blackwell, and St. Louis Composting.

The list to-date of chefs and restaurants participating include: Chris Bolyard of Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions, Josh Charles of Element, Robert Colosimo of Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Gian Nicola Colucci of Cielo, Adam Gnau of Acero, Grant Higgs of Missouri Athletic Club, Vu Hoang of SubZero, Tamara Keefe of Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery, Rick Lewis of Southern, John Perkins of Juniper, Tonya Tucker of Food Outreach, and Seth Verseman of 1904 Steakhouse.

The event will also publically recognize long time Gateway Greening Board Member Loura Gilbert for her dedication to the organization by presenting her with the Whitmire Award. Gilbert is the Vice President of Community Development at Commerce Bank. “Loura’s dedication and commitment to Gateway Greening have been unmatched, and as she serves her last year on the Gateway Greening board, there was no question that she should receive this award. We thank Loura for her leadership throughout her time with Gateway Greening, “ said Matt Schindler, Executive Director of Gateway Greening. The Whitmire Award is named for Peg and Blanton Whitmire. The honor is awarded annually to a volunteer, donor or supporter that has shown extraordinary dedication to the advancement of the organization.

Other event highlights include a live and silent auction, Gateway Greening’s Chef of the Year Award, special guest food judge George Mahe who is the Food Editor of St. Louis Magazine, words from Gateway Greening program representatives, and a special appearance by student chefs from Mallinckrodt Academy. The event’s emcee is KMOV anchor Courtney Bryant and the auctioneer is Amit Dhawan of Synergy Productions.

Tickets can be purchased for $150 per person. To purchase tickets, for sponsorship opportunities, and to learn additional event details, please visit www.chefsinagarden.org.

About Gateway Greening

Gateway Greening is a non-profit organization that educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening has been working to provide creative, grassroots solutions to urban problems since 1984. Programs include supporting more than 200 community and youth-focused gardens across the St. Louis area through educational opportunities, grants and technical assistance; urban beautification projects that enhance the downtown St. Louis urban landscape; and The Gateway Greening Urban Farm, a 2.5 acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and jobs training programs to individuals who are homeless and underserved.
For more information on Gateway Greening and its programs visit www.gatewaygreening.org or call 314-588-9600.

Gateway Greening Invites the Public to the City Seeds Therapeutic Job Training Spring Class of 2016 Graduation Ceremony

Posted on June 16, 2016 by beanstalk

ST. LOUIS, MO (June 16, 2016)…Gateway Greening is working to solve issues of homelessness and substance abuse in downtown St. Louis using a unique approach: urban agriculture. For 10 years, Gateway Greening has partnered with the St. Patrick Center, an organization that provides housing, employment and health programs to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, to send program clients through a 10-week therapeutic job training program at The Gateway Greening Urban Farm.

The Gateway Greening Urban Farm, located at 2200 Pine Street, is growing everything from herbs to pumpkins. The farm is managed by Gateway Greening employee Rachel Deffenbaugh. But the real growth happens within the people participating in the City Seeds therapeutic job training program. Former St. Patrick Center client and City Seeds graduate Frank Warren explains what the program meant to him: “I was homeless, and was dying to be a part of society and not a burden. I needed to be important. I needed to matter, and then City Seeds came along. There wasn’t much money involved, but it didn’t matter. I had a chance to matter again, and that’s what I needed—a purpose. And did I ever get one.”

Rachel Deffenbaugh has been working with the City Seeds program for five and a half years. “We use gardening and growing things as a means of providing clients with coping skills for whatever they are struggling with but also just peace of mind.” The produce that is grown by the clients is harvested and sold through a CSA program, or Community Supported Agriculture. Any other produce harvested is sold wholesale or donated to participating clients and food pantries. On average, the farm produces 18,000 pounds of food annually.

The Therapeutic Job Training Spring Class will celebrate its graduation on Friday, June 17 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Patrick Center, located at 800 N. Tucker Blvd. in downtown St. Louis. Gateway Greening invites the public to attend the ceremony. Clients will speak about their experiences and how they have helped them overcome struggles. In addition, staff will recognize accomplishments and graduates will receive a graduation certificate.

About Gateway Greening

About St. Patrick Center

St. Patrick Center provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Individuals and families build permanent, positive change in their lives through safe and affordable housing, sound mental and physical health, and employment and financial stability

The goal of St. Patrick Center’s three-year Strategic Plan is to work collaboratively with the St. Louis community to end chronic homelessness in the region.

For more information, visit www.stpatrickcenter.org.

Gateway Greening Partners with Crown Valley Organics for Year Two on the “Perfect Picks” Program

Posted on June 2, 2016 by beanstalk

(ST. LOUIS, MO., June 2, 2016)… Gateway Greening, St. Louis’ expert in community gardening, is helping backyard and community gardeners find the perfect vegetables and herbs for their gardens this season through the “Perfect Picks” program, a retail produce line that began in 2015 and features vegetables and herbs that are “Gateway Greening Approved.”

Working with St. Genevieve, MO grower Crown Valley Organics, the organization has selected a number of organically grown and certified vegetable starts that grow easily in our region and provide an abundant harvest. From now through the late summer, these “Perfect Picks” plants will be available at several garden centers and nurseries in the area, with Crown Valley Organics donating 18 cents to Gateway Greening for every unit sold.

“For many gardeners, it can be overwhelming when deciding what plants to grow in your garden each season. Gateway Greening is taking the guesswork out of the game with the Perfect Picks. These veggies and herbs have been approved by our very knowledgeable staff to be the most prolific selections for St. Louis gardeners,” said Matt Schindler, Executive Director of Gateway Greening. “St. Louis Garden Centers have been very supportive of this program and now, nearly every area of St. Louis has a Garden Center carrying the Perfect Picks. It is wonderful!”

Join Gateway Greening for an upcoming Perfect Pick Autumn Garden Workshop at the Science Center’s GROW Exhibit on Saturday, July 16 from 10am-12pm. RSVP to [email protected].

For more information on the Perfect Picks Program, a list of the Perfect Picks selections, or for information on Gateway Greening and its programs, visit www.perfectpicks.org or call 314-588-9600.

The Perfect Picks can be found at the following Garden Centers:

Bayer’s Garden Shop, Imperial
Cat’s Gardens, University City
Crabapple Cove Nursery, Oakville
Frisella Nursery, Defiance
Garden Heights Nursery, Richmond Heights
Greenscape Gardens, Manchester
Hillermann Nursery, Washington
Intaglia Home & Garden, Maplewood
Local Harvest – Tower Grove, St. Louis
Lucky’s Market, Ellisville and Rockhill
Rolling Ridge Nursery, Webster Groves
Sandy’s Back Porch, Belleville, IL
Sugar Creek Gardens, Kirkwood
University Gardens, University City
Whole Foods Market, Brentwood

About Gateway Greening

Gateway Greening is a nonprofit organization that educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening has been working to provide creative, grassroots solutions to urban problems since 1984. Programs include supporting more than 200 community and youth-focused gardens across the St. Louis area through educational opportunities, garden supplies and technical assistance; and Gateway Greening’s Urban Farm, a 2.5-acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic job training program. Visit Gateway Greening at www.gatewaygreening.org. @gatewaygreening.

###

SLCL Installs Third Community Garden at the Grant’s View Branch

Posted on May 19, 2016 by beanstalk

SLCL Installs Third Community Garden at the Grant’s View Branch

St. Louis County Library and Gateway Greening are pleased to announce the installation of the newest library garden on Saturday, May 14 at 8:30 a.m. at the Grant’s View Branch. This is the third community garden for the Library District–the Cliff Cave and Prairie Commons Branches also have gardens, but are both currently closed for construction. The Grant’s View Branch is located in South St. Louis County at 9700 Musick Road, directly across from Grant’s Farm.

Garden volunteers will gather at the Grant’s View Branch on Saturday, May 14 at 8:30 a.m. to construct 24 4’x12′ raised beds and four easily accessible raised beds for individuals with disability issues. The garden area is already equipped with a waterline and a sidewalk; a tool shed will be added at a later date. Aetna is the corporate sponsor of the Grant’s View community garden.

SLCL’s community garden program has been extremely popular. All 28 garden beds at the Grant’s View location have been reserved for the 2016 growing season, and a waiting list has begun for next year.

Similar to the library’s other community gardens, the Grant’s View garden will offer programming and educational opportunities. Plans for an adjacent children’s garden are still in progress.

SLCL’s partnership with Gateway Greening began in 2012, creating the first library community garden at the Prairie Commons Branch. The program was so successful, that a second garden was installed at the Cliff Cave Branch in 2013–with garden expansions taking place at both locations. The Grant’s View Community Garden is the third collaboration between Gateway Greening and SLCL. The project will be the largest garden installation ever undertaken by Gateway Greening.

For more information about the Grant’s View Community Garden, please contact Jennifer McBride at 314-994-3300 ext. 2250.

Photos are courtesy of St. Louis County Library.

UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” Initiative Funds 50 Community Gardens in St. Louis

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

Donation supports development of nearly 100,000 square feet of garden space across the city

ST LOUIS – April 23, 2016 –UnitedHealthcare is donating $74,000 in support of Gateway Greening’s 2016 community gardening and urban agriculture programs across St. Louis to celebrate the kickoff of the spring gardening season. Gateway Greening, a local nonprofit organization, educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture.

With UnitedHealthcare’s support, Gateway Greening will be able to build and expand 50 community and youth gardens – totaling nearly 100,000 square feet – reaching more than 2,000 people throughout the city. Funding for this project was made possible through CBS EcoMedia’s WellnessAd program.

UnitedHealthcare employee volunteers celebrated the new partnership by working in two of Gateway Greening’s local sites—Bell Garden and the Botanical Heights Community Garden. The volunteer day is part of UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to inspire service and encourage volunteerism.

Gateway Greening’s Executive Director, Matt Schindler, is looking forward to working with UnitedHealthcare. “Gateway Greening appreciates both the volunteers and financial support of UnitedHealthcare. This connection through CBS EcoMedia is enabling Gateway Greening to further our impact of strengthening St. Louis communities through urban agriculture,” said Schindler.

“UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Gateway Greening and EcoMedia to give people in St. Louis a fun, safe and educational environment to learn how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Steve Walli, CEO, UnitedHealthcare – Heartland States.

Gateway Greening’s garden development services begin by providing training on community gardening best practices and continue through a multiphased garden planning process in partnership with garden groups. The educational program culminates with the award of garden materials and supplies such as raised beds, soil, garden tools, and additional infrastructure such as compost bins, picnic tables, arbors and toolsheds.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

About CBS EcoMedia Inc.

EcoMedia was founded in 2002 by social entrepreneur Paul Polizzotto. The company’s mission is to harness the power of the advertising dollar to make tangible, quality of life improvements in communities nationwide. In 2010, after successfully partnering on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia was acquired by CBS Corporation, exponentially scaling its reach across television, radio, interactive, and publishing media.

Through EcoMedia’s patent-pending EcoAd, as well as EducationAd, WellnessAd, Viewers to Volunteers and Volunteering with the Stars advertising programs, national brands and local businesses provide millions of dollars in financial support to some of the nation’s most effective nonprofit organizations, funding critical veterans’, education, health and wellness, and environmental projects nationwide.

EcoMedia’s innovative and proprietary business model has fundamentally altered the advertising and nonprofit landscapes, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change.

EcoMedia has earned numerous awards and recognitions for its work, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors Award for Excellence in Public Private Partnerships (2009), Edison Awards for Social Innovation and Social Impact (2012, 2013), and the Starlight Children’s Foundation’s “General H. Norman Schwarzkopf Leadership Award,” which honors individual and organizational leaders who are doing extraordinary work to advance the common good and strengthen their communities.

Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd, EducationAd, and Viewers to Volunteers advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.

###

GATEWAY GREENING ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY GARDEN CONTEST

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (April 28, 2016) – For 30 years, Gateway Greening has educated and empowered individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agricultur. This year, Gateway Greening is bringing back the popular Community Garden Contest, that calls for Gateway Greening supported community gardens to submit their garden as the “best” of one of the five categories below. Does YOUR garden have what it takes?

Art in the Garden A garden that incorporates art to express itself or community identity. Examples of art in the garden may or may not thematically relate directly to gardening.

Biodiversity A garden that widely incorporates plantings to support biodiversity, or wildlife habitats that support a variety of species and variability within species.

Garden to be a Kid In A garden that is inclusively designed to maximize youth engagement.

Hang Out Garden A garden that you want to relax, kick back and socialize in.

Intensive Veggie Production A garden that maximizes vegetable productivity using various intensive growing strategies, such as succession planting, season extension, vertical growing or square foot gardening.

In September, the winning gardens can show off their garden “digs” in the St. Louis Community Garden Tour.

To enter your garden or to view submissions, visit www.gatewaygreening.org/contest. Submissions are due by May 31, 2016.

Garden judging takes place on June 18, 2016. Want to be a judge? Great! Visit www.gatewaygreening.org/contest to register as a judge in one of the five categories.

About Gateway Greening

###