Gardens Doing Good #3: Project Orange Thumb
This is the third installment in my occasional series, “Gardens Doing Good,” which shares the stories of organizations and people who are using gardens to make a difference in others’ lives. (Read the first two installments here and here.)
Community gardens are popping up in cities and towns across the country. But many communities lack the funds they need to make the garden all that it can be. That’s why Fiskars, the company that makes the good kid scissors, launched Project Orange Thumb.
“Project Orange Thumb is a grant program that provides community garden groups with the tools and materials they need to reach their goals for neighborhood beautification and horticulture education,” says Janelle Schwartz, a spokesperson for Fiskars.
In addition to providing grants to gardening groups across the country, Project Orange Thumb also conducts garden makeovers in communities that need rebuilding. Partnering with The Home Depot Foundation for each makeover, a team of Fiskars professionals works with volunteers from the community to “transform nothing into something, in a single day,” Schwartz says.
Last month, Fiskars completed its seventh garden makeover, which took place at the North Brentwood Community Garden in Portland, Oregon.
The Portland Parks & Recreation Department had a year-long waiting list of more than 70 names of people who wanted to join the garden. As a result of the Project Orange makeover, 23 of those waiting gardeners are now seasonal owner-operators of their own individual plots.
And not only are local residents enjoying fresh, hand-grown foods from the garden; the makeover also resulted in a beautiful outdoor space that revives the neighborhood and fosters community living.
Upcoming garden makeovers will take place in Columbus, Ohio, and Vancouver, BC, Canada. At each makeover, Project Orange Thumb “coordinates everything needed to develop a beautiful, productive, and engaging community space,” Schwartz says. “The company works closely with neighbors, business leaders, volunteers, and community partners to educate garden caretakers to help ensure that the space is productive for years to come.”
According to Fiskars, the company’s mission for Project Orange Thumb is to celebrate the endeavor of community gardening and all that it represents, including creative expression, beautiful outdoor spaces, civic and community collaboration, healthy hand-grown foods, and sustainable living.
Do you know of another group, individual or organization that is using gardens to do good? If so, please let me know in the comments section below or send me an email: nancy (at) nancyjackson.com. Thank you!
