9 Best Charities that Help with Gardening | Full List with Details
A whopping 44% of community gardens have increased since 2012. They provide fresh air, a healing space, and alluring tourists for their sheer botanical appearance. Apart from creating an incredibly breathtaking bouquet gift for loved ones to delivering fresh fruits and vegetables, gardens are an integral part of humans.
Caring for plants is therapeutic in every way; as MaryLynn Mack suggested, plants will be around even when humans are long gone; till then, our duty is to work on them by engaging with local communities.
This creates a win-win situation for everyone; sustainability locks food security for the future, and an all-inclusivity agenda intensifies love and respect for one another. These results with a promising beauty edge are the journey charities have helped begin.
Here are 9 Best Charities that help with Gardening:
1. The Salvation Army
Founded in 1865, TSA works with multiple approaches at once. From education, preventing homelessness, food security, creating employment, and launching helpful initiatives considering a current scenario, it has encouraged and impacted millions of lives today.
Each year around spring, they launch their Garden Community program to boost food security for seniors while supplying fresh fruits to low-income members of society.
This all-inclusive project is maintained by volunteers of all communities who plant and harvest various crops in the hope of blooming faith and merriment. GuideStar gave them a Gold Transparency token in 2021.
2. Catholic Charities
Since the summer of 2021, this century-old nonprofit organization is known to organize a community garden day every Tuesday. The fields are filled with fresh oregano, cilantro, parsley, and many more herbs.
Local organizations like Holy Cross and Scrap Exchange donate a bunch of vegetables every week from their community gardens to low-income families and individuals. Their motto is to look for more people and increase the joy of planting.
The surplus stock is donated to The Durham Community Food Pantry, which works with a similar mission. Charity Navigator rates them a 4-star charity for their community inclusiveness values and strong foundational framework.
3. Seed Savers
Since 1975, they have grown, saved, and shared heirloom seeds to protect and preserve biodiversity to house a rare collection of 20,000 plus open-pollinated plants. For the conservation of plants, they educate farmers during the seed sowing to seed saving.
The founder, Diane Whealy, considers it her mission to preserve the food crop legacy for future generations and offer various crops for survival in situations of any drastic climate changes.
Their Seed Exchange Community connects thousands of farmers worldwide to share their knowledge and store the essence of heirloom seeds. Today they are the largest visionary seed bank for protecting future generations. Charity Navigator scores them 82 out of 100.
4. New York Restoration Project
Since access to nature is believed to be a fundamental human right, for over 25 years, NYRP has invested its time towards this city’s parks and gardens to accomplish 4 goals strengthening communities, promoting food equality, countering environmental issues, and fighting social injustice.
By building 22 new green spaces, they removed more than 105,000 pounds of trash conducive to composing 85,000 pounds of organic material. 700 plus individuals joined their hands to cultivate 18,000 sq. ft. of raised beds and host 78 programs for all community members.
NYRP’s mission is to partner with organizations to provide gardens for underserved communities. The utilization of green spaces draws out disparities and promotes equality within the serving neighborhood.
Bette Midler’s one small initiative sprouted a thread of donations and a series of initiatives to plant trees, restore gardens, bring back lost parks, and transform empty spaces to bring back the greenery New York truly deserves.
5. Big Green
Its roots originate in Colorado, its inspiration is drawn from school gardens. The two co-founders, Kimbal Musk and Hugo Matheson, built a learning garden to increase a preference for wholesome meals, development of healthier responses towards workload and the improvement of academic performance for children and adults.
They aim to serve needy communities across the country. A customizable learning experience teaches people to transform barren land into a fertile field to satisfy food hunger and act as a source of income.
One such program called Plant a Seed Day has unlocked $ 10,000 grants for various farms and has successfully created a community on social media which encourages people internationally to plant seeds. They recieved an 85% rating from Charity Navigator for their outstanding leadership skills.
6. The Garden Conservancy
Established to preserve diverse gardening traditions, they wish to educate and assist garden owners. Along with helping families and public parks, they also manage historic rehabilitation.
Since 1989 they have restored more than 100 gardens to manifest the artistic creators and watch them present their knowledge of biodiversity, climate, soil, and global garden styles. They believe parks play a huge role in spiritual healing and helping community members connect with each other and improve the general quality of life. With a team of experts they work all aspects for garden perseverance.
The launch of their signature program ‘Open Days’ they welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors for an education lecture about gardens and fostering new ideas in its alignment. Charity Navigator rates them an appreciable 88% for their sound financial structure.
7. One Tree Planted
Roots crawling back to Vermont, this nonprofit carries a vision of building a healthy environment by protecting biodiversity through simple acts. With a presence in more than 47 countries and 266 strong planting partners, they have managed to plant 40,000,000 trees in a span of 8 years.
From the pool of donations, they star growing saplings along with their partners during monsoon. These saplings are regularly monitored, and a report is created for public knowledge.
They have targeted 6 central locations namely; North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and The Pacific. GuideStar rewarded them with a Platinum Transparency Token this year.
8. Insight Garden Program
To spread vocational gardening and landscape training, their approach is based on transforming lives in prison from within and creating safer and healthier communities. Established in 2002, this charity is funded by the Peace Development Fund.
A study of IGP participants who were paroled in the period of 2003 to 2009 showed how less than 10% returned to prison.
With a strong network of volunteers, staff, key stakeholders, and private organizations, they have built a collaborative approach for participants to reduce recidivism.
9. Plant a Seed Foundation
PSF is an all-inclusive nonprofit charity that promotes interconnectivity with one another, our food, and land. Their programs are structured to appreciate the seed-to-table cycle, create opportunities with outdoor education experiences, support school meal programs to nourish children, offer scholarships for students who wish to pursue botanical and health sciences, assist disadvantaged communities through extensive care and lastly develop seed preservation programs to harbor a legacy.
Each of their initiatives lists the positive impact it has on society. By an increase in green spaces they are reducing the “heat island”, decreasing carbon emissions and reducing soil erosion.
The communities also gain a chance to eat fresh local vegetables and fruits to improve their physical and mental health. Apart from funding them, they have listed various ways on their website to assist them with their goals, these simple and easy steps will diversify our society for the better.
Final Thoughts
Scientifically through several medical types of research and organically through the scripts of Ayurveda, It is very well proven how positively nature can impact an individual.
Organic fruits and vegetables from these community gardens symbolize love, togetherness, and value for every food grain. Healthier lifestyles are a result of fresh produce and simple diets. The above charities have performed outstandingly well and have gone to great extents to show their regard for nature.
