Money may not grow on trees, but Giving Grove believes that hunger-free communities just may.
In 6 major cities across the U.S., Giving Grove has partnered with communities in food insecure neighborhoods to plant bite-sized fruit, nut and seed orchards to provide people with a source for fresh, healthy food and a place to connect. In the neighborhoods where orchards are planted, kindness, opportunity, health, knowledge, sustainability and community flourish simultaneously.
Giving Grove started when its founders realized that emergency food distribution wasn’t going to end hunger. They devised planting little orchards as a way for food insecure communities to share their resources and create a local food production system that can support people indefinitely. With an orchard in town, members of the community not only have a source for nutritious, sustainably-produced food that may otherwise be difficult to access, but they also have a place to rekindle their city’s sense of interconnectedness and work with their neighbors directly to plant roots for a better future.
Since their first orchard was planted in 2013, Giving Grove has planted trees in 273 sites across the nation with over 2.8 million annual servings* of healthy food, and each orchard has an average yearly production potential of 4,000 pounds of food. Giving Grove is constantly broadening its reach, hoping to touch 15 more cities across the country in the future.
Here’s how you can support Giving Grove and the implementation of long-lasting food production systems in the US:
- Start an orchard in your city. If you live in a food insecure neighborhood, are part of an existing local organization and are passionate about growing sustainable food, you may qualify to bring Giving Grove to your area! Apply here.
- Volunteer at a Giving Grove site near you. Help kickstart and care for an orchard in your community or a neighboring town. Reach out to your local Giving Grove program to find out how you can help.
- Donate to Giving Grove. Your support will help plant trees in food insecure neighborhoods and feed hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, your help is needed more than ever before. Click here to contribute to Giving Grove’s impact.
Watch Giving Grove’s short film and visit their website to learn more about their mission, impact and how you can help. Join their efforts to create a national web of connected, food secure and transformed communities across the US.
*Giving Grove measures each serving as 1/3 of a pound.