Winter Park Health Foundation Approves Community Gardens Grants Totaling $153,107

Eight new community garden projects in Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park have received grant funding totaling $153,107 from the Winter Park Health Foundation as part of its Think~Act~Be Healthy Communities initiative.

The Think~Act~Be initiative, launched in November 2007, is designed to support a variety of community projects that help make Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park healthier places to live, work and play.

Community Garden grant recipients include a collaboration of the Orange County/ University of Florida IFAS Extension Service and Friends of Mead Gardens who will receive $24,985 to develop a demonstration community garden to be used to teach experienced and new community garden groups about how to create and take care of community gardens.

Other recipients of grants include:

• The Town of Eatonville Community Garden Project will receive $25,000 for a collaborative effort including Hungerford Elementary School, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and Eatonville Public Children’s Library to expand a Children’s Heritage Garden, add other gardens and provide community gardening educational events.
• The Interfaith Council on Community Health was awarded $25,000 to build on the success of its existing community garden and develop a garden on the site of the Depugh Nursing Center in downtown Winter Park.
• Winter Park Towers will receive $14,471 to develop a community garden with raised beds and potted plants to accommodate persons with disabilities, along with traditional garden beds.
• Dommerich Elementary School will receive $17,400 to start a garden to be created in a central area on campus that would benefit both Dommerich Elementary and Maitland Middle School and create an interactive outdoor teaching environment that will integrate curriculum and the overall health objectives of exercise, recreation, and healthy eating habits.
• Winter Park 9th Grade Center will receive $20,000 for a community garden project that will include a native plant garden, reading area and an onsite vegetable garden useful to all academic levels.
• Brookshire Elementary will receive  $15,135 to develop a community garden that includes raised, irrigated outside planting beds, hydroponic gardening system and worm composting bins.
• Hungerford Elementary will receive $11,116 to establish a “Learning Community” garden that will be organic and consist of raised garden beds with help from students, parents and the volunteers from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Organization.