ST. LOUIS, MO, Oct. 9, 2014– Gateway Greening is one of 19 winners nationwide of the 2014 ConAgra Foods Foundation Nourish Our Community Grants. The ConAgra Foods Foundation awards these grants annually to nonprofit organizations that provide exceptional service to communities where ConAgra Foods employees live and work.
Gateway Greening has been awarded a $12,500 grant. Funds will be used to purchase garden supplies for 2015 youth garden awardees. The organization was nominated for the award by Mark Sluss of ConAgra Foods which employs 33,000 people across the United States.
“As a resident of the city of St. Louis, I am very impressed with the outreach that Gateway Greening does in our neighborhoods,” said Sluss. “Their focus on child hunger and specifically nutrition education for children, the poor and the homeless is truly inspirational. I know well that this money will be used for the betterment of our city and the lives of those who live here.”
ConAgra Foods employees are central to the Nourish Our Community Grants program. Employees across the company nominate nonprofit organizations making an impact in their communities, and a cross-functional employee committee reviews and selects the grant recipients. Awards in 2014 totaled $300,000.
“Moving forward, our biggest growth opportunity is to engage youth in sustainable food production and garden-based education and this grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation will help this opportunity become a reality for an increasing number of youth,” said Gateway Greening Assistant Director, Mara Higdon.
“Funds will be allocated for basic garden necessities, such as tools, hoses and garden books. On average, gardens receive about $1,000 worth of garden materials, including larger scale infrastructure, such as lumber, to build raised garden beds. This funding will support tool and teaching supply costs, and the remaining funding gap will be filled with donations and other future grant funds,” added Higdon.
ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS
ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America’s largest packaged food companies with branded and private branded food found in 99 percent of America’s households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Consumers can find recognized brands such as Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Healthy Choice®, Hebrew National®, Hunt’s®, Marie Callender’s®, Orville Redenbacher’s®, PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food sold by ConAgra Foods under private brand labels, in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. Additionally, ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to commercial and foodservice customers. ConAgra Foods operates ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides consumers with easy dinner recipes and more. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.
ABOUT GATEWAY GREENING
Gateway Greening is a non-profit organization that educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening has been working to provide creative, grassroots solutions to urban problems since 1984. Programs include supporting more than 200 community and youth-focused gardens across the St. Louis area through educational opportunities, garden supplies and technical assistance; urban beautification projects that enhance the St. Louis urban landscape; and the City Seeds Urban Farm, a 2.5 acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Jenna Davis
Gateway Greening
314-588-9600 ext. 103
jenna@gatewaygreening.org