Category: Press Releases

Grant will be used to educate and empower the youth of St. Louis through exposure to gardening and healthy eating.

 

St. Louis (April 12th, 2016) – Gateway Greening has been educating and empowering individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture in the St. Louis community for more than 30 years. As part of its 2016 initiative, the Monsanto Fund has granted $205,000 to Gateway Greening for its Youth Garden Program. Monsanto Fund has partnered with Gateway Greening since 2004, contributing more than $1.5 million to various programs over the last 12 years.

Through the Monsanto Fund, Gateway Greening’s youth gardens and programs are able to inspire and educate children across St. Louis through hands-on outdoor lessons and activities in the garden. We work with parents, teachers and other community leaders to teach kids about gardening, agriculture and healthy eating. Matt Schindler, Gateway Greening’s Executive Director, explains the importance of this grant. “The Monsanto Fund is helping our youth in St. Louis develop a lifelong appreciation for nature, gardening and learning.  Gateway Greening is able to utilize this grant from the Monsanto Fund to build and grow our Youth Garden Program, which is impacting over 3,000 kids and over 70 communities in the St. Louis region every year,” said Schindler.

Gateway Greening has said that all subjects can be taught from the garden. Kathleen Carson, Gateway Greening’s Education Manager, points out science in particular. “The Youth Garden Program is growing scientists. Our Youth Educators work with teachers to get elementary students out in their school gardens, exploring plant science, soils, weather, water cycle, food webs and, of course, eating food they have grown themselves. In addition, they are creating inviting places for their school community to flourish,” said Carson.

Michelle Insco, Monsanto Fund program officer, highlights the wide scope of benefits provided by the program. “Gateway Greening’s Youth Garden Program beautifies our community, teaches young people about food and nutrition, and pulls science education out of the classroom and into an engaging, outdoor environment,” said Insco. “Many of these students grew up in the city, so they also learn how agriculture is an integral part in our daily lives, even if they’ve never been to a farm. Monsanto Fund is proud to support this program.”

When building youth gardens, projects are selected based on a number of factors including: need, the quality of the garden space, the level of community and staff 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), curricular resources and training. We strive to establish sustainable garden projects that can continue teaching our youth for years to come.

 

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.

About Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farm families and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

ST. LOUIS, MO, January 5, 2016 – Gateway Greening is the recipient of a $50,000 Aetna Foundation grant to provide general support to Gateway Greening’s Youth and Education program for the next two years. The Aetna Foundation has been supporting Gateway Greening and their mission to educate and empower people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture since 2014.

Gateway Greening currently supports 90 community gardens throughout the St. Louis area and sends two youth educators to teach in six schools several times a month. These educators provide great lessons for students of our partner organizations, but they also work to educate teachers on the benefits of teaching core subjects in the healthy and active environment of the garden.

The grant from the Aetna Foundation will help transform gardens in public schools into learning environments that support health, academic success and lifelong learning for young people in St. Louis. Gateway Greening will provide intensive garden education, basic garden supplies and ongoing technical assistance in local schools for teachers and families. Funds also will support a summer youth employment program that teaches young people how to grow food and develop skills to increase their chances of career success and their ability to make a positive contribution to society.

Gateway Greening will collaborate with Fontbonne University to bring healthy eating lessons to children. Hannah Reinhart, Program Director for Gateway Greening said, “We would like to thank the Aetna Foundation for their continued support of the youth gardening program. This grant will allow us to expand on an established partnership with Fontbonne University’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics to help us teach nutrition and cooking workshops at school gardens,” Reinhart said.

“Good nutrition and physical exercise not only form the building blocks for a lifetime of good health, they also are critical factors in helping children be ready to learn,”  said Garth Graham, M.D., M.P.H., president of the Aetna Foundation. “We are pleased to support Gateway Greening’s program and help youth in St. Louis establish healthy habits at a young age.”

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, garden supplies and technical assistance; urban beautification projects that enhance the St. Louis urban landscape; and the City Seeds Urban Farm, a 2.5 acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program. @gatewaygreening

 

ABOUT THE AETNA FOUNDATION

The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna (NYSE: AET). Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed more than $445 million in grants and sponsorships. As a national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who have volunteered 3.4 million hours since 2003. For more information, visit www.aetnafoundation.org.

Funds generated will support Gateway Greening’s work to educate and empower individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban architecture

Some of St. Louis’ most talented chefs recently gathered at the Palladium Saint Louis on Sept. 13 to serve their signature dishes for a good cause, as Gateway Greening hosted its 18th annual Chefs in a Garden fundraising event. St. Louis Composting served as the presenting sponsor for this year’s event, which featured gourmet food prepared with ingredients grown at Gateway Greening gardens and local farms. The fundraiser generated over $100,000 to benefit Gateway Greening’s programming.

Chefs and restaurants that participated in this year’s event were Lona Powers of Lona’s Lil Eats; Bradley Hoffmann of Planter’s House; John Perkins of Juniper; Adam Karl Gnau of Acero; Chris Bolyard of Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions; Seth Verseman of 1904 Steakhouse; Tyson & Anna Long of Winslow’s Home; Nicholas Hatfield of Food Outreach; Ivy Magruder of Panorama; Sandia Hoorman of Piccione and Bethany Budde of SqWires.

This year’s menu featured a full spectrum of foods, from scallops to fried pickles! Piccione Pastry provided sweets treats with a mini cannoli station, while Chef Budde of SqWires refreshed the crowd with the restaurant’s signature homemade watermelon lemonade. This year’s “Chef of the Year” award went to Chris Bolyard of Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions, who received recognition for his “braised collard greens & smoked ham hock with pork rinds” dish.

Guests also enjoyed a special selection of quality wines and local microbrews and took part in live and silent auctions to benefit Gateway Greening.

“This year’s Chefs in a Garden event was another success for the organization,” said Mara Higdon, Gateway Greening Assistant Director. “It was an evening of fine cuisine prepared by some of the best chefs in St. Louis, We would like to extend a special thank you to St. Louis Composting and our other sponsors, Centene; Commerce Bank; Anova, Husch Blackwell; The Koman Group; Missouri Foundation for Health, Osborn and Barr, and Great Southern Bank for helping to make this year’s event possible.

“St. Louis Composting is happy to partner with Gateway Greening to help accomplish their mission to educate and empower the people of St. Louis to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. I think more organizations like Gateway Greening need to exist,” said Patrick Geraty, owner of St. Louis Composting.

 

Gateway Greening finds a new leader in Downtown St. Louis Community Developer

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (September 23, 2015) — Gateway Greening, the downtown St. Louis non-profit organization that promotes urban community gardening, has completed its search for a new leader by naming Matt Schindler its new Executive Director. Schindler succeeds Michael Sorth, who led the organization for four years, and is now the Director of Conservation and Community at Great Rivers Greenway.. Gateway Greening has an approximate annual revenue of $1,000,000 and 11 full time and three seasonal employees.

Schindler comes to Gateway Greening after many years with Downtown STL, Inc., (formerly the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis) where he held the position of Director of Community Development. His accomplishments at Downtown STL, Inc. included various initiatives for public improvements, transportation studies, commercial and residential development, and his work with the St. Louis Streetcar Company. His previous work experience includes seven years at the International Institute of St. Louis where he worked in program management and business consulting and development, and time working with the United States Peace Corps,in Gyumri, Armenia.

“I am proud to be joining Gateway Greening.  As an organization with a mission to educate and empower the people and communities of St. Louis, I look forward to helping further that mission and expanding Gateway Greening’s reach in the community,” said Schindler.  “With a great staff, engaged board, and a tremendous number of volunteers and supporters, Gateway Greening will build upon its great work and continue to improve St. Louis through gardening and urban agriculture.  I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty, both figuratively and literally.”

Schindler’s educational background includes a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations from Webster University in St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and German with a Minor in Economics from Drury University in Springfield, Mo.

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 City Seeds 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.

Facebook.com/gatewaygreening

@gatewaygreening

@mattschindler

(ST. LOUIS, MO., August 26, 2015)… A unique partnership between St. Louis designers, police officers and gardeners from Gateway Greening is helping to provide free books to those who may not have access to a library, as part of the international “Little Free Library” movement.

Created in Wisconsin in 2009, the Little Free Library initiative was developed with the goal of promoting literacy and the love of reading through the building of free book exchanges worldwide. In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books placed within a neighborhood. Community residents are encouraged to pick up books from the box to enjoy, and bring back books to share with others. Across the globe, there are currently 25,000 registered Little Free Libraries, with thousands more under creation.

Over the next few months, new Little Free Libraries will be popping up across the St. Louis area at Gateway Greening supported community and school gardens thanks to a collaboration between Gateway Greening, the St. Louis Metro Police Department and local architecture firm, SPACE Architecture + Design.

Earlier this year, SPACE Architecture + Design, hosted a “Little Free Library” design competition, which invited St. Louis designers to create innovative designs for Little Free Library book boxes and turn their ideas into actual display boxes. Numerous box designs were created and built as result of the competition, and will be placed at Gateway Greening gardens in locations where residents have limited access to books.

“The Little Free Libraries Project brings together aspects of growing community, building relationships, and spreading the love of reading,” said Mara Higdon, Assistant Director at Gateway Greening. “Gateway Greening is thrilled to be a part of this project highlighting the community development happening in and around Gateway Greening’s community garden projects throughout the City of St. Louis,”.

To help keep the libraries full, members of the St. Louis Metro Police Department will visit and restock them regularly, and use the visits as opportunities to engage with community members.

“The Little Free Libraries Project is a great opportunity for kids to make their first encounter with a police officer a positive and rewarding experience,” said St. louis Police Commissioner Sam Dotson. “We are extremely excited about partnering with Gateway Greening and local architects to provide books for our community’s most valuable assets, children. This project will enable us to work towards our goal of building stronger community partnerships.”

To learn more about the Little Free Libraries coming to St. Louis City, or for more information on Gateway Greening and its programs, visit www.gatewaygreening.org or call 314-588-9600.

ABOUT THE ST. LOUIS METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has been protecting, serving and assisting St. Louis citizens since 1808. The department is the second largest law enforcement agency in the state of Missouri. There are more than 1300 sworn officers who are responsible for the public safety of 318,000 residents who live in the City of St. Louis and thousands who visit the city every year.

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, garden supplies and technical assistance; urban beautification projects that enhance the St. Louis urban landscape; and the City Seeds Urban Farm, a 2.5 acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program.

ABOUT SPACE ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

An award-winning design-build firm in St. Louis, Missouri, SPACE was launched in 2005 by St. Louis native Tom Niemeier. SPACE’s collaborative team of talented architects and designers give clients inspiring environments to enhance the most important moments of life. As proud residents of St. Louis’ Grove neighborhood, SPACE encourages its employees to give back to the area through pro bono work and community involvement. SPACE’s community participation was recognized by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who awarded them the Spirit of St. Louis Award in 2010. For more information, visit www.spacestl.com, get up-to-the-minute news on Twitter at @spacearchitects, and on their blog at spacestl.wordpress.com.

 

Locations of the Little Free Libraries are:

 

Southampton	South Hampton	4915 Macklind Ave	63109
Connect Tower Grove South (TGS) Community Garden	Tower Grove South	4259 Connecticut	63116
South City Family YMCA Community Garden	Southwest Garden	3150 Sublette	63139
Clinton Peabody Community Garden	Peabody, Darst, Webbe	1401 LaSalle	63104
Temple Gardens	Benton Park West	2740 Arsenal	63118
Fall and North Market Community Garden	JeffVanderLou	2411 Fall Ave.	63113
Historic Miss Tillie’s Corner Community Garden	JeffVanderLou	1353 N. Garrision	63106
Ville Family Gardens/Gardenville	The Greater Ville	4310 Maffitt Street	63113
Cote Brilliante	The Greater Ville	4588 Cottage Avenue	63113
Maple Community Garden	West End	5928 Maple Ave	63112
Clarence Clovers	O’Fallon	4528 Clarence Ave.	63115