Learn more about our bi-annual Seeds to Start grant program here. Keep an eye out for our spring 2020 grant, due May 15th, and spread the word to organizations who might be interested in applying!
In fall 2018 Moonflower Co-op awarded Moab Community Gardens, an organization that provides plots for organic, sustainable gardens benefiting Moab valley residents, with our $1000 Seeds to Start Grant. We received a report from MoCom Gardens describing what they were able to accomplish with the grant funds in 2019. They were able to tackle many projects, including the creation of pollinator and medicinal plant beds, a bed to grow food for the local food bank, building raised garden beds of salvaged wood, and partnering with Moab Valley Multicultural Center and their Amiguitos mentoring group.
Highlights from the report:
Moab Community Gardens (MoCom) experienced a great year in 2019. We had ample fun times amid the growing garden and continued on our mission to develop sustainable, organic community gardens for the benefit of Moab and Spanish Valley residents, creating welcoming spaces for people of all abilities and backgrounds.
At East Bench Community Garden, all 10 plots were in use, servicing 13 official adult gardeners and hosting numerous kiddos and garden friends. Once a month, we had a Brunch and Volunteer Work Day, which gave us time to work on weeding, pruning, path building, planting, and to make headway on our various projects: building raised beds, growing food for the county food bank, planting pollinator-friendly landscaping, and working on perennial landscaping at the Moab Valley Multicultural Center. …
We had two goals in alignment with the stipulations of the Moonflower Grant. First, we aimed to expand local food production and foster community food security by expanding our publicly available garden spaces and growing food for the local food bank. Second, we aimed to extend outreach to community members of color by growing food plants at the Moab Valley Multicultural Center. …
The MoCom team extends a sincere thank you to Moonflower and the Seeds to Start Grant Program, which has allowed us to expand our capacity and reach more Moab Valley community members. Having the seed money to substantiate our ideas has also given us a greater identity and a more tangible presence that we can share with community members and present as examples to new potential partners. Expanding our native perennial landscaping is also an overall benefit to sustaining ecosystem connectivity within the valley and provides native pollinators a place to land.