Organizations Collaborate to Improve Health by Investing in Backyard Gardens

Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture Receives Grant to Support the Opportunity Gardens Program

Boone County Community Trust (BCCT) awarded the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture (CCUA) a $20,460 grant to expand the Opportunity Gardens Program in 2015. This spring marks the 4th year of the program, which now has over 94 families and 11 agencies in participation. The Trust previously sponsored the program’s supplies for the 2014 growing season.

Members of the Trust attended a tour of some Opportunity Garden sites prior to finalizing its decision. BCCT chair Robbie Price was impressed hearing how the program has changed the lives of participants. “We are excited to be a part of this innovative effort. Empowering families to grow a garden at home is a great way to invest in the health and vitality of the community.”

The BCCT was created in 1974 by R.B. Price, Jr., to provide a perpetual funding source for Boone County’s local charitable organizations. In the nearly 40 years of operation, the Trust has given over $2.4 million in donations to over 180 local organizations.

But the Boone County Community Trust isn’t the first organization to invest in the health impacts created by backyard gardens.

The program was initiated in 2010 out of a partnership with PedNet and the Columbia Housing Authority through funding from the Center for Disease Control and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This coalition worked through establishing and observing the policies and procedures involved in building raised beds on public housing property, and created a word of mouth buzz among the residents.

Police Lieutenant John Gordon has noticed the community impacts of the program. The program “has increased community awareness and brought a home environment to a once bare area...I've heard the residents speaking of a sense of ownership." CCUA now has gardens all over Columbia with about 45 percent of the participants living in public housing.

In 2013, The Heart of Missouri United Way began supporting the Opportunity Gardens through their new Community Impact service model. The Opportunity Gardens program is within United Way’s ‘Health Impact Target’ which aims to help children and families develop healthy lifestyle habits.

Tim Rich, Executive Director/CPO of Heart of Missouri United Way, describes the impact CCUA brings to the community this way: “CCUA does a great job of building ties in the community and helping build gardens into everyday life. Gardening gets people access to healthy food and regular physical activity; both are keys to positive health outcomes.”

One of the exciting outcomes has been the collaboration between neighbors. Strong leaders took on the role of “Garden Ambassador”, going above and beyond to help their neighbors get started and grow successfully. This community-building dynamic was initially unexpected, but was embraced and supported. Ambassadors receive extra seeds, starts, tools and organic fertilizer to share with their neighbors.

Trish Woolbright, CCUA’s Opportunity Gardens Program Coordinator, is the leader of the home gardening effort. Trish meets all the new applicants, talks about what it takes to garden, helps with installation, and follows up throughout the season to distribute seeds, starts, and troubleshooting advice. “I love helping people garden at their home. People are proud of their gardens and are excited to share their bounty with me, their friends and family.”

Opportunity Gardens Participant, Jenatte S., explains why she loves gardening. "With our limited resources, the varieties of the organic foods growing in our backyard have been an extra help to sustain my family. Our children help plant the seeds, water and pick out their vegetable choices for their meals."

Woolbright shares her gratitude for the trust’s investment in this program. “We are grateful for the support we’ve received from Boone County Community Trust. They empower us to be changemakers in the community; to help people engage in growing food for themselves and their families.”

The impact is great even when gardeners begin slowly. Woolbright explains, “Growing food at home, even if it’s just one tomato plant, is a great way to meet your neighbors, feed your family, and relieve stress.”

Anyone interested in the Opportunity Gardens program or starting a garden at home is encouraged to contact CCUA to learn more, www.ColumbiaUrbanAg.org. More information about the United Way and the Boone County Community Trust can be found at www.uwheartmo.org and www.bcctrust.org.

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The Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture is an educational 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. CCUA teaches people how to grow their own food through its many programs at CCUA’s Urban Farm, in backyards and in the community. CCUA uses its 1.3-acre Urban Farm at 1209 Smith St. as its main educational site.

For more information about the Opportunity Gardens program, please contact Trish Woolbright, Opportunity Gardens Coordinator. Call 573-514-4174, or email OG@ ColumbiaUrbanAg.org.