Celebrating National Plant a Flower Day With Nature’s Path Gardens For Good Program

Today marks National Plant a Flower Day, an opportunity to get outside with the kiddos and plant something beautiful.

In honor of getting our hands in the dirt and spreading awareness on the benefits of cultivating a garden, Nature’s Path’s efforts to support community gardens across the US and Canada. Through their annual Gardens for Good Program, Nature’s Path is honoring the wonderful work community gardens are doing across the US and Canada to bring healthful, homemade meals onto the table in areas dealing with food insecurity.

Access to affordable, fresh food has become increasingly challenging for many communities during the last year, and to address the challenges of food system, Nature’s Path has expanded their Gardens for Good program to support 21 gardens with $5,000 each, more than seven times the number of gardens supported in previous years.

Nature’s Path Empowers 21 Community Gardens for 2021

Through Gardens For Good Program

Organic Breakfast Brand Grows Giveback Initiative to Support Non-Profit Garden Projects

Nature’s Path – North America’s largest certified organic breakfast and snack food company – is significantly expanding their annual Gardens for Good Program to help recognize the wonderful work community gardens are doing across the US and Canada. Nature’s Path will support 21 community gardens with $5,000 each. Applications are accepted starting on February 5th, with special focus on gardens founded by and serving, Black, Indigenous and communities of color.

“We believe fresh, nutritious food should be accessible to all, and we are deeply troubled that the reality of our food system does not reflect this,” said Jyoti Stephens, VP Mission and Strategy at Nature’s Path. “Due to the pandemic, access to healthy, fresh food has become even more challenging. That’s why we decided to expand our grants to reach seven times the number of gardens we have supported in previous years. We believe community gardens feed more than just bellies, but also people’s hearts and souls.”

According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, in the U.S. alone, over 23 million people live in areas with reduced access to affordable, fresh food, half of which are considered low-income. Gardens for Good was created in 2010 to support the amazing impact local community gardens have in all neighborhoods, but especially ones with limited access to fresh foods. Every year since its inception, Gardens For Good has provided three grants to nonprofit organic community gardens. This marks the first year Nature’s Path has expanded their contributions to 21 gardens.

Since the program’s inception, Nature’s Path has donated over $400,000 and supported 27 community garden projects. The beneficiaries of their support primarily include areas where affordable, nutritious foods are not widely available. Previous winners include The YAM Project in Sudbury, Ontario; Growing Roots in Pomona, California; Garden Joy in Ripon, California, among many others.

Applications for the program can be submitted through www.naturespath.com/gardensforgood and promoted for votes through April 7th. Winners will be selected on National Gardening Day (April 14th).

To learn more about the Gardens For Good Program, visit www.naturespath.com/gardensforgood or follow them on Twitter @NaturesPath and Instagram @NaturesPathOrganic.

ABOUT NATURE’S PATH FOODS

Nature’s Path Organic Foods is North America’s largest organic breakfast and snack food company and produces USDA and Canadian Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified breakfast and snack foods sold in grocery and natural food stores in over 50 countries around the world. Committed to the triple bottom line— socially responsible, environmentally sustainable and financially viable, Nature’s Path works diligently to support communities and champion the cause of people and planet. Brands include Nature’s Path®, Love Crunch®, Qi’a®, Que Pasa®, Flax Plus®, and EnviroKidz®. Founded in 1985, Nature’s Path is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia and employs hundreds of valued team members at its four facilities in Canada and the United States.