August 6, 2024
The UGArden Student Community Farm won $10,000 as a finalist for the Kubota Hometown Grant, but it has an opportunity to increase that amount to $50,000 if the project wins the most votes in its district. Voting is currently taking place at KubotaHometownProud.com until 11:59 p.m. CT on Aug. 14. Voters will automatically be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a Kubota lawnmower or tractor.
A press release from Kubota explains the impact of UGArden in the Athens community and how the organization plans to distribute its grant funds:
UGArden provides experiential learning opportunities while addressing community food needs, yielding an annual average of 15,000 pounds of organically managed produce, which is then distributed by partner organizations to families facing food insecurity. According to their application, Athens has a food insecurity rate of 25%, with 1 in 3 children living in poverty. UGArden’s project is a plan to construct the UGArden Community Farm Stand. The farm stand will be accessible by bus and offer fresh produce and meals through a low-stigma, pay-what-you-can model to increase access to fresh, nutritious food in Athens.
With the $10,000 Kubota grant, the organization will construct the UGArden Community Farm Stand. A $50,000 grant will provide funding to construct the pay-what-you-can UGArden Community Farm Stand, build additional cold storage capacity for the farm, help pay student workers, and purchase supplies and equipment for irrigation, shelving, season extension, and more to enhance operations and increase efficiency, further strengthening the farm and partner organizations’ capacity to address food insecurity in Athens.
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