Post a Comment On: Eat Local Food

[Image] Interested in starting a school garden but short on funding?  Jamba Juice has just announced that it will award 40 youth and school garden grants.  To celebrate the National Gardening Association's 40th Anniversary, and to promote nutrition and gardening to students, the grants will award $500 in gardening supplies, plants, curriculum, and more.  A good start to a healthy school garden initiative.

Who Can Apply?  The Program is open to schools, community organizations and nonprofit gardening programs with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18.  Schools must be located within a 50 mile radius of a Jamba Juice location.

Is There a Catch?
The only catch I could find is the condition that your school garden must be located within a 50 mile radius of a Jamba Juice store.  And although it precludes some from applying it's not really a "catch".  I'm sure store officials want to be able to visit the school gardens and perhaps do some promotional tie-ins for offering the funds.  A quick peek on the Jamba Juice website will help you to determine if your school garden qualifies.    For example, there's a store in Toledo Ohio, but none in the Detroit Michigan metro area.  Detroit appears to be out of the 50 mile radius range, but some other Southeastern Michigan communities appear to qualify.  For example, Wyandotte, Riverview, Monroe, and Ann Arbor are all within 50 miles of the Toledo Ohio store.

Tips:  What to Include in your Proposal
Make sure you address these items in your proposals!  Based on the National Gardening Association Kids Gardening website, those likely to be awarded a grant are those who:
1)  Those who incorporate fruit and vegetable activities into their curriculum.
2)  Those who promote nutrition education, and
3)  Those who demonstrate that their program and garden are sustainable over multiple years.

For More Information:  Visit the NGA's Kids Gardening website for complete program guidelines, application procedures, and access to the Jamba Juice store locator.

Deadline:  February 18, 2013