As the planting season gets closer, we’re thrilled to be part of an exciting collaboration happening here in our community. Here, we share a bit about the incredible work being done by community advocates at The Big Garden and City Sprouts – and how we’re partnering with these local organizations to share our passion for making Omaha a healthier, more beautiful place to live.
Fighting Local Hunger
Many people in our community face the real threat of poverty and limited access to healthy food. According to The Landscape, a data-sharing project organized by the Omaha Community Foundation, roughly 16% of the individuals in our community struggle to find affordable, fresh produce. Growing a vegetable garden is one solution, but without the space, knowledge, or skills needed to raise a successful garden and utilize the harvest, this solution can pose its own challenges too.
That’s where our friends at The Big Garden and City Sprouts come in. These two great organizations are working to support food security in and around Omaha through a number of programs. Their efforts include working with local schools and organizations to establish and manage community gardens, teaching new gardeners of every age to grow, cook, and preserve their own healthy food, and creating career opportunities for young people. They also strive to educate others about the existence of hunger in our community and inspire them to join in the effort to help.
The Urban Ag School
Both groups have always had a passion for education, offering a range of programs related to gardening and nutrition, but a few years ago, the staff of each organization realized that even more programming was needed in the communities they serve. In 2015, they joined forces, and the Growing Gardeners Workshop Series was born.
Executive Director of The Big Garden, Nathan Morgan, says that the collaboration started as just a handful of workshops, but has since expanded into an in-depth, low-cost program that serves hundreds of people every year. Today, the series includes four educational tracks, including the Urban Ag School, which teaches participants about soil health and composting, garden tools, container gardening, planning an herb or vegetable garden, the basics of spring planting, and much more. Other segments of the Growing Gardeners series include workshops on herbal medicine, cooking and nutrition, and garden-inspired crafting.
City Sprouts Executive Director Katie Kresha adds that working together, City Sprouts and The Big Garden are able to take advantage of opportunities to strengthen their existing relationships in the community and share efforts to spread awareness to a wider audience. As small, non-profit organizations, Katie says they rely on partnerships with local businesses and other interested groups that share their values. Staff from each group also collaborate to share their various expertise through workshops they might not offer on their own. Together, they’re better able to reach new people who have an interest in building confidence in the garden, growing and cooking their own food, and engaging more fully with their community.
See You in the Garden
For our part in this amazing project, we’re excited to partner with The Big Garden and City Sprouts to sponsor this year’s Urban Ag School program, with our team leading some of the workshops this year too. And we’d love to have you join us. No experience is necessary to begin – the program meets you where you are and works with you to build your skills and confidence.
Update: All Urban Ag School workshops are now being offered online through Facebook Live. We hope you’ll join us there!
