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Special Thanks to the Community Food Bank
A special thanks to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona who awarded a $20,000 Thriving Communities grant to help build community and food resiliency for residents who live in the neighboring Tucson House and Barrio Blue Moon Neighborhood.
The Blue Moon Community Garden is located in the Thrive in the ’05 district, which is a collaboration of community organizations, led by the City of Tucson, that is focused on innovations to reduce crime, improve neighborhoods, and increase economic and workforce development in the 85705 zip code. The goal of this grant opportunity will be to pilot an alternative model for a CGT garden that is located in a disadvantaged community by paying for needed supplies and offering payment to a Site Coordinator who will be tasked with recruiting community members to join the garden, determine how the community would like to utilize the amenities of the space, work with community partner organizations and the neighborhood association to host educational classes on topics of interest to the community, and determine a strategy for improving food resiliency of unsheltered residents of the community.
Ultimately, it will be important for the members of that community to feel ownership of the garden space and be encouraged to utilize it to address their own pressing needs. We believe in the power of community gardens to bring people together to improve neighborhoods, food resiliency, mental health, heat islands, and provide a beautiful sanctuary for community members who struggle with life’s challenges. We intend to evaluate this type of garden program over the next year to help guide us toward ensuring that CGT gardens can thrive in underserved communities to accomplish these goals.
Arizona Daily Star Highlights How CGT Helps Tucsonans!
Here’s the April 30, 2023 article in the AZ Daily Star about how CGT increases food security and wellbeing for Tucsonans.
Thank You GEICO for Your Generous Support!
Here’s a huge “shout out” to our friends and corporate partner at GEICO, whose generous gift of $5,000 will provide important support to CGT’s garden education program and for the purchase of supplies and materials to keep our gardens thriving! Thanks to GEICO we are now able to construct 100 Kids in Gardens education kits and acquire school supplies for these students, including bug nets, insect enclosures, compost and temperature gauges, and much, much more. Through its donation, GEICO will also become a CGT Adopt A Garden sponsor, which provides mulch, tools, and other equipment and supplies to keep our gardens green. Thanks again to GEICO for their support of CGT’s mission and programs!
Huge Thanks to the Graesser Foundation at Tucson Foundations for Their Generous Gift of $25,000!
We were honored this past December with an incredibly generous gift of $25,000 awarded by the Graesser Foundation, administered by Tucson Foundations. The grant will be used for CGT’s general operations, setting the stage for what will be a transformative chapter in our organization’s history and that builds on a comprehensive organizational assessment just completed by Evan Mendelson Consulting, also funded by Tucson Foundations.
The assessment evaluated CGT’s (1)General Operations and Administrative Management, (2)Diversity, Partnerships and Collaboration, (3)Board Governance, (4)Financial Viability, and (5)Resource Development, and provides the basis for developing a set of clearly defined actionable items and timeline for CGT’s continued growth and maturation this year.
The Board and staff of CGT express our deepest thanks and appreciation to Tucson Foundations for their continued investment in our organization, and for their commitment to fostering a strong, vibrant and effective nonprofit community in Tucson.
Thank You Kroger Family of Companies for Helping Our Gardens!
Thank you to the Kroger Family of Companies for their grant of $10,000! Kroger’s incredibly generous grant will fund CGT’s Adopt A Garden program to improve and rejuvenate ten of CGT’s community gardens so that their productivity and social benefits are maximized for our gardeners. These gardens will showcase Kroger’s financial support by installing signs so that all who visit will appreciate your role in helping to make Tucson a better place in which to work and play. The ten CGT community gardens benefitting from the grant include, Pio Decimo, Presidio, Keeling, Homer Davis, Mary Meredith, Doolen, Ventana Vista, Rincon, Highland Vista, and Blue Moon.
Thank you Pima County Fleet Services Administration
A huge “Thank You!” to Pima County Fleet Services Administration for the donation of a 2009 Ford Ranger pickup truck to Community Gardens of Tucson. Special thanks to Fleet Services staff Ray Ochotorena, Bob Charlton, and Cecilia Murch for their help throughout the transfer process.
Now, instead of our staff having to use their own vehicles to haul compost, mulch, garden waste, tools, and other items to our community gardens, they can do it safely and efficiently in our very own truck!
Thank you all for seeing the value in CGT’s mission, programs, and commitment to making Tucson a better place to live!
Thank you Sundt Foundation!
Community Gardens of Tucson extends its deepest appreciation and gratitude to the SUNDT Foundation for their recent grant of $2,500! These funds will be used to provide gardening scholarships to families who lack the financial means to actively garden with us and grow fresh, healthy food for the table. It is because of caring and compassionate business allies, such as the Foundation, that we are able to deliver on our mission and provide healthy gardens in communities across the City of Tucson. Thanks again for the philanthropic spirit of the SUNDT Foundation, whose commitment to investing in Tucson’s nonprofit sector is so very critical in our collective efforts to make the world a better place!
Thank you Whole Kids Foundation
Our deepest thanks and heartfelt appreciation to the Whole Kids Foundation for their generous support of our Edible Educational Garden Project conducted in partnership with Mary Meredith K-12 School. This project will help us develop an exciting, innovative and sustainable learning space for the school’s students, creating a “learning garden” and a gardening curriculum for teachers and students to expand their learning experiences in a safe and welcoming gardening environment.
Purchase these beautiful cards and support CGT
Artist Sandy Smith, also a CGT gardener, has designed greeting cards from images she has taken in our gardens that show the beauty that desert gardens offer. 50% of each sale is being contributed back to CGT so your purchases directly help CGT’s bottom line, in addition to giving you great gifts or cards to send to others.
You can purchase these cards ($15/package – 6 cards/envelopes) at the following places throughout Tucson:
Thank you to Costco Wholesale!
Our deepest thanks for awarding CGT a $50.00 gift card to Costco Wholesale. Your generous financial support will underwrite a portion of the costs of our Annual Members meeting that will be held later this year to honor our volunteers and to celebrate the important work and service that CGT provides our community. We appreciate your support!
Thank you to the Tucson Foundations
Deepest thanks to the Tucson Foundations, directed by the Lohse Family, for funding this year’s license renewal to Catchafire, provided through the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona. Catchafire offers worldwide access to professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to nonprofits. With help from a Catchafire expert we were able to create our new website, do a comprehensive review and revision of our Vision, Mission and Values statements, and benefit from expert advice about a wide range of issues.
The Tucson Foundation‘s partnership with the CFSA will strengthen not only CGT’s programs but those of Tucson’s entire nonprofit sector.
CGT awarded National AARP Community Challenge Grant
We’re one of 6 AZ organizations and 244 in the country to receive this award! Funding will go to our Blue Moon Community Garden to strengthen infrastructure, provide new programming, and increase outreach to Tucson House residents to build their local food knowledge and participation in Blue Moon Community Garden. Watch a video about the AARP Community Grants.