The 5th and C Street Urban Farm in West Sacramento received a GRO1000 grant from The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and The U.S. Conference of Mayors to expand urban agriculture and increase healthy food accessibility for area residents.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.
Funding for the project is part of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s national GRO1000 gardens and green spaces program.
With more than $2.8 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world’s largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care.
Located in the Bryte-Broderick neighborhood of West Sacramento, the 5th and C Street Urban Farm transformed an abandoned lot into a bustling urban farm, which produced more than 7,500 pounds of produce last season.
By expanding the urban farm program to additional locations, 5th and C Street will help address the issue of public health by providing a healthy food source for the community.
With the help of the grant, the completed expansion will have a mobile farm stand for produce sales and donations, a tool lending library and increased farm locations for beginning farmers to engage in urban agriculture.
“This grant marks a tipping point in our efforts to support the growth of urban farms in West Sacramento,” said West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon. “With the generous support of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company we are able expand our collaboration with the Center for Land Based Learning and other partners, creating more opportunities for beginning farmers to have access to land, while increasing residents’ access to locally grown produce and beautifying our community”.
An event at the Urban Farm on April 15, brought together area residents and youth who joined volunteers, including ScottsMiracle-Gro associates, city officials and the grant’s national and local partners, in garden-related educational activities.
The funds will support the creation of more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2018, in conjunction with its 150th anniversary.
To date, hundreds of community projects have received funding from the grant.
“Urban agriculture is transforming blighted property and increasing food accessibility in communities across the country,” said Alex Hernandez, Vice President of ScottsMiracle-Gro Regional Sales. “We’re honored to work with the City of West Sacramento to support green space projects that will benefit its residents for years to come.”
GRO1000 West Sacramento was made possible through the combined efforts of local partners and national partners, including The U.S. Conference of Mayors, ScottsMiracle-Gro, Plant A Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association, the Garden Writers Association, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
For more information, visit www.GRO1000.com.
