11-2SG Wilson Community Garden
Grant Round:
2011 September
Grant Program:
Small Grants
Grant Type:
Other Grants
Grant amount requested:
1,250.00
Grant amount awarded:
$1,250.00
Attachments
Please provide a brief description of the project for which you seek funding.
What we propose to do: The gardeners at Wilson Community Garden in South Providence wish to complete a project to build a water conservation system to provide their garden with an affordable, sustainable, and consistent source of water for nourishing their food plants. With a $1,250 grant, the community gardeners will build a wood structure that can support a 250 gallon water barrel that will catch rain and provide gardeners with a reliable source of water. What led to the project: Wilson Community Garden has provided 15 local residents with space to grow their own food, but the garden has never had access to water. Gardeners at the community garden have managed to grow a large amount of food by bringing their own water in buckets and jugs. Expensive water systems that tap into the city of Providence’s water source are cost prohibitive for the gardens and for Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT), the non-profit that owns the land. Another garden, Dexter Community Garden recently created a water conservation system with a large rain barrel that provides gardeners with a reliable source of water. SCLT and Wilson Community Garden members met to discuss the potential of installing a similar water conservation system. How your group got involved: Wilson Community Garden started in 1990. Two neighborhood families noticed two vacant lots in their community and approached SCLT for guidance and resources to help them transform the space into a garden. Together, the families joined with neighbors and SCLT staff to clean up the lot and test soil for lead. For the past 20 years, 15 gardeners have been growing healthy fruits and vegetables on the land. SCLT was able to purchase the garden in 1990 to ensure that it will always be used for food gardening. Timeline: February 2012: Wilson Community Gardeners meet with SCLT staff and gardeners from Dexter Community Garden to design and plan a water conservation system. March 2012: Wilson Community Garden Leaders and SCLT staff purchase materials for the water conservation system. Wilson Community Gardeners plan a community workday for April to build and install the water conservation system. April 2012: With the support of volunteers and SCLT staff, Wilson Community Gardeners hosts workday to build and install the water conservation system. May 2012: Wilson Community Gardeners host a community workshop on water conservation in gardens with SCLT staff and Dexter Community Gardeners.
Project Summary
The Garden received a grant in 2011 to build a water conservation system to provide their garden with an affordable, sustainable, and consistent source of water for nourishing their food plants. The community gardeners will build a wood structure that can support a 250 gallon water barrel that will catch rain and provide gardeners with a reliable source of water.
Primary Issue Area:
Food
Please break-down/categorize the program expenses:
| Proposed Item | Estimated $ Amount | Would grant funds be used for this item? | Type Of Expense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber for Water Conservation Structure | $300.00 | Yes | Materials |
| 250 Water Barrel and Diverter | $750.00 | Yes | Materials |
| Workshop Materials | $100.00 | Yes | Materials |
| Stipends for Workshop Leaders | $100.00 | Yes | Materials |
| SCLT personnel - organizing and promoting meetings, workdays, and workshops | $500.00 | Materials |
Whom does your group need to make this project happen?
Please explain how your group will engage members from your community in this project.
The proposed project will increase community-based knowledge about water conservation amongst urban gardeners. The project will utilize an informal “train-the-trainer” model to share skills and expertise in water conservation systems with the following activities: 1. Wilson Community Gardeners will join SCLT staff and gardeners from Dexter Community Garden, who installed a similar water conservation system in Spring 2011, for a meeting to plan and design the water conservation system. During the meeting, SCLT will present concepts of why water conservation is critical to environmental sustainability and healthy gardens. 2. All community gardeners at Wilson will attend a workday to build and install the structure. Wilson community gardeners will receive guidance and volunteer labor from gardeners at Dexter Community Garden. 3. SCLT and Wilson Community Gardeners will host a community workshop, translated into Spanish and Hmong, for gardeners from around the city to learn about water conservation systems and how similar structures can be designed and built. The Wilson community gardeners will present their project at the workshop.
If your group receives a NEGEF Grow grant, how do you plan to pay for remaining expenses?
| $ Amount | Source |
|---|---|
| $1,250.00 | NEGREF Small Grants |
Please list these materials or services
| $ Amount | Item |
|---|---|
| $500.00 | SCLT personnel |
Please describe what changes will occur in your community and its environment when your group's project is successful.
The proposed project will provide 15 community gardeners from low-income, diverse backgrounds, who live in a food insecure and environmentally damaged neighborhood, with a critical resource they need to grow healthy food. Wilson Community Garden is located in the Southside of Providence, a neighborhood with high rates of unemployment, poverty, crime, and diet-related diseases such as diabetes. The community garden transforms the neighborhood – improving the environment, increasing access to healthy food, and beautifying the community. The proposed water conservation system will allow the garden to thrive in a needy community. Installing the water conservation system will provide a more affordable and more environmentally sustainable alternative to a system that would provide gardeners with a consistent source of water. The specific success measures for the proposed project are: • Design and installation of a water conservation, including a 250 gallon water barrel, onsite at Wilson Community Garden. • Completion of a community garden workday to build and install the water conservation system, with all Wilson Community Gardeners participating with at least 4 representatives from Dexter Community Gardeners and 2 representatives from SCLT staff. • Completion of a community workshop on water conservation in the garden led by Wilson Community Gardeners.
Please list how many people in your community your group expects to actively engage in this project.
20
What relevant skills does the group need (but does not currently have access to) to help move the initiative forward?
The gardeners of Wilson Community Garden need support with fundraising for the community garden project and technical expertise on the design and construction of a water conservation system. Wilson Community Gardeners will be supported by project partners in the areas of technical expertise around water conservation systems and fundraising. SCLT staff, specifically the Community Growers Director Liza Sutton, will provide support and guidance throughout the project. Liza has significant experience with managing community garden projects and fundraising for projects. Gardeners from Dexter Community Garden will bring technical skills in water conservation system design and construction.
What relevant skills do current members of the group have to help move the initiative forward?
Gardeners of Wilson Community Garden have worked together to keep the garden productive and environmentally sustainable for over 20 years. They bring strong skills and expertise in community organizing, meeting planning and facilitation, and planning and implementing effective community garden workdays. Having worked together since 1990 to create and keep up the garden, these gardeners know one another and work together well. The gardeners do not have skills in outreach and marketing,or graphic and web design. It is not expected that any of these skills will be necessary to the success of the proposed project. However, the gardeners will need support with technical expertise on water conservation systems, including system design, construction, and installation.