The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Wright County Office is a 2021 recipient of the Master Gardener Growing Together Mini-Grant. There are 32 county office recipients throughout the state. The Wright County Extension office has partnered with the First Lutheran Food Pantry to increase access to fresh produce for Food Pantry shoppers. The grant will be used to plant and harvest a variety of fruits and vegetables at the garden plots located at the Iowa Specialty Hospital grounds in Clarion.
The grant will also provide programming opportunities for all community members on soil fertility, composting, adult and children's planting and harvesting demonstrations, garden tours, and food demonstrations using fresh produce. There will also be gardening volunteer opportunities with the Food Pantry for individuals looking to serve the community.
Growing Together mini grants have been funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s SNAP-Education since 2016. Iowa was the first state to create this model, which has been replicated in Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Wyoming and Montana. Over the past five years, the mini-grants have resulted in food donations of over 434,729 pounds.
This year, the Growing Together Iowa team received a record number of applications, including eight new counties that have never applied before. A map is available that shows where projects have been funded in the past.
