Request for: Pocatello City Council Agenda June 5th 2014 and/or Pocatello City Study Session, June 12th 2014
Topic: Creation and adoption of the Gardens to Parks/Parks to Gardens project collaboration and cooperation between the City of Pocatello Parks and Recreation Department, and local neighborhood associations, and the Grange Cooperative for Healthy Foods and Lifestyle.
Information below:
Pocatello “Parks to Gardens/Gardens to Parks” project.
To every Pocatellan who attends a festival at our river parks, tends a bed of vegetables in a community garden, or runs or walks and talks along the trails of Sacajawea Park, People's Park, Simplot/Swanson Park, or Edson Fitcher Park, the benefits of a greener and healthier urban environment for all of us are clear. These open spaces offer an abundant gift of health for individual body and spirit, bring the promise of local community and economic development, and help to make our valley part of the Great Clean-up of our community, our neighborhood, and even our planet to become a more environmentally secure and sustainable habitat to raise our children.
Now in it's 2nd year of advocacy for a healthier food and life, the Grange Cooperative for Healthy Foods and Lifestyle, is expanding with it's “Parks to Gardens/Gardens to Parks project. The P to G project is basically a project of inclusion into our existing parks small gardening plots or community gardens supported by and in collaboration between existing neighborhoods and the Parks and Recreation Department of Pocatello.
Benefiting neighborhoods:
Pocatello's existing community gardens are in need of help, as are our growing lines of our food bank give-a-ways. Therefore, we hope bringing more life to our parks with the inclusion of the “Sport of Gardening!” Our Gardens to Parks/Parks to Gardens project challenges local neighborhood communities to engage local schoolchildren, neighbors, and others in outdoor educational and recreational activities which encouraging neighborhood greening, urban farming and conservation efforts beyond garden borders. As a primary goal and one of the most effective ways that the Grange Cooperative can collaborate with the Parks Department to better serves city residents, is to advance urban neighborhood revitalization and sustainability especially in under-resourced neighborhoods.
The cornerstone of the Grange Cooperative for Healthy Food and Lifestyles' mission and work will continue to be expansion, and enhancement of healthier environments for our local neighborhoods. In today’s urban environment, community gardens provide tranquility where concrete and asphalt otherwise rules. The Parks to Gardens project helps neighborhoods to function as neighborhood village greens, urban farms, and outdoor classrooms throughout the the city where existing public parks or other open spaces do not presently provide provide these simple necessities. By creating these oases of much-needed natural beauty not only produce vegetables, herbs and flowers – we then also improve the health of neighborhood residents and families, promote community interaction and pride, and bring the promise of local community and economic development.
The roots of community gardens run deep in Pocatello. Within the city, apples trees and other fruit trees abound, in contrast to our surrounding agricultural region where these products tend to be lacking. An answer is this dilemma is to produce and provide readily available organic and healthy local vegetables and fruits. We suppose, some can live on bread, potatoes, and beef alone, but most of us need substantial additional sources of greens, and fruit, not just starch and dead meat. Therefore, in these shared and cherished green spaces, where neighbors host barbecues and birthday parties, gather with family and friends, or simply sit and relax or read in the sunshine we offer the Gardens to Parks/Parks to Gardens project. Like other greening organizations, the Grange Cooperative understands the important environmental, social and even economic roles that community gardens ought to play in our neighborhoods. What makes the Grange Cooperative unique is our unwavering commitment to restore, maintain and introduce innovative youth and adult educational programming and events in our garden projects, by helping neighborhoods, organize and develop better sources of food and nutrition.
Contact us on Facebook: Grange Cooperative for Healthy Foods and Lifestyle
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