Throughout December, we are highlighting each of the organizations featured in our Jersey Give-Back Guide, an online portal for year-end giving that makes it easy to donate to some of New Jersey’s most effective nonprofits. Today we feature Grow It Green Morristown.
Organization name: Grow It Green Morristown
Connect: Website | @GIGMotown | Facebook
Founded: 2009
Communities served: Morristown, Morris Township, Morris County
WHAT WE DO: Grow It Green Morristown builds community through collaborative projects centered around food, education, and shared outdoor spaces. We transform abandoned or under-utilized areas of Morristown into beautiful and useful green spaces. Our garden and farm spaces provide opportunities for community engagement, health education, and environmental awareness.
We collaborate with multiple partner organizations to improve access and awareness of healthy food and provide educational opportunities for school children, local groups, and individuals. By engaging and educating local residents, we aim to be a catalyst for positive change in Morristown, helping it to be a healthy and safe community.
WHY WE’RE GREAT: During the 2014 growing season, we had over 3,300 student visits to our Urban Farm at Lafayette, New Jersey’s largest public school garden. Beyond planting, weeding and harvesting at the farm, students across the Morris School District and other area schools learn valuable lessons in biology, math, environmental science, and nutrition.
The food students grow is then donated back to the community, and is available at our farmstand at affordable prices to make fresh, local food accessible to all. This year we donated over 1.69 TONS of food to area soup kitchens and schools.
Our efforts to build community and connections to growing food are central to our Early Street Community Garden, where we’ve launched a campaign to raise funds to expand the garden onto one acre of land. The new design will be an asset for the entire community and will include 94 garden beds, a public parklet, community pavilion, ADA-compliant walking path, rain garden, and more.
HOW YOUR DONATION WILL HELP: Your donation helps bring educational programs to students and adults in our community. It allows us to supply fresh, local produce that is direly needed in our community’s soup kitchens and schools and also provides opportunities for people in the community to grow their own food.
Each donation we receive goes a long way to supporting these efforts:
- A $35 donation covers the cost of a garden plot for a senior citizen for the year
- A $50 donation will help bring a classroom of children to the farm to learn about where their food comes from
- A$100 donation will help with our food pantry delivery for a week.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS: We need volunteers to help maintain the gardens, help build infrastructure, and/or guide people through the garden during our open farm stand days. We are always looking for subject matter experts to teach classes, as well. And we always need help in the office with mailings or database support.
READ MORE ABOUT US: Growing the Garden is Top Task for New Director of Grow It Green Morristown
— Abby Gallo, Grow It Green Morristown Executive Director
GO TO THE JERSEY GIVE BACK GUIDE NOW.
The Dodge Foundation is offering $1,000 challenge grants to each of the organizations featured in the Jersey Give-Back Guide. To be eligible, each organization must receive at least 50 donations through the Guide by December 31st. Help them reach their goal and get that extra $1,000!