Published quarterly, The Serving covers backyard orcharding, fruit tree management, helpful harvest tips, and Giving Grove updates. Thank you for helping make a big impact with little orchards!
Friends,
As 2022 ends, we celebrate the growth and impact of our Giving Grove national network and all of our affiliate partners. This year, The Giving Grove network installed more than 100 orchards from coast to coast. Together these sites are on pace to grow more than 19 million servings of fruits, berries and nuts!
In a landmark planting year, one recent project stands out: anorchard with 100 trees, brambles and vines planted with the Atlanta Braves and our partners at Food Well Alliance. Through The Giving Grove's collaboration with One Tree Planted and Players for the Planet, the Atlanta Braves have committed to planting 300 fruit and nut trees across 20 Atlanta orchards by next spring.
On December 2, we had the privilege to plant alongside Braves all-star catcher Travis D'Arnaud and more than 70 Braves employees.
"Hopefully, this starts not only [Atlanta] but every city in America in the right direction to go out there and plant some orchards," D'Arnaud said. "It will just bring people together."
We couldn't agree more!
(Photo credit: Food Well Alliance)
While we are thrilled to partner with the Braves and Food Well Alliance to install these new sites, Giving Grove's commitment doesn't end with planting orchards. With your support, our network can continue to nurture the more than 400 orchards planted since 2013 through ongoing training, horticultural support, and community engagement.
This holiday season, we invite you to invest in urban orcharding. All one-time donations made in December will be matched and monthly donations will be matched for a year.
Thank you for helping us share the power of this national network with more cities and more neighborhoods!
USDA Grant Funds Orchard Planting in Detroit
The Giving Grove was recently awarded a competitive grant through the USDA that will provide 2 years of funding toward a program expansion. This funding will allow us to establish a partnership with Keep Growing Detroit and Michigan State University Extension.
Keep Growing Detroit has worked for years to establish more equitable access to fresh foods. Partnering with The Giving Grove will allow Keep Growing Detroit to expand its programming to support more fruit and nut production throughout the community.
Through this partnership, Michigan State University Extension will host a large demonstration orchard on its urban farm in Detroit and offer a certification program for stewards or other urban farmers who complete a series of orcharding workshops.
To find out more about Keep Growing Detroit, visit here.
To learn more about the MSU-Extension program in Detroit, visit here.
Give the Gift That Keeps Giving!
T-shirts, hats, pins, stickers! There is something for every urban orchard fan at The Giving Grove Merch shop. 100% of proceeds go toward planting and supporting little orchards nationwide. Order today to receive your gifts by Christmas! (Pick-Up option available to those in the Kansas City area.)
Looking for a gift that will last for generations? Consider the Living Gift of a fruit tree, berry bramble, or orchard. Click here to order the gift, and we will take care of the rest with a personalized message sent to your colleague, friend, or loved one!
Each time you share something from The Giving Grove, you are helping us spread our mission a bit further. Follow us at:
Missed the Reveal of Our Latest Film?
No problem!
Spend 3 minutes learning from Janett, an orchard steward, about her journey to create food equity and community healing. Janett's orchard, located at her urban farm Rustic Roots Sanctuary in North St. Louis, is supported by Giving Grove affiliate Seed St. Louis.
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