Carter County’s community gardens are once again in the running for grant funding to “grow” their operation.
In a contest offered by Seeds of Change, the gardens have the possibility of obtaining thousands of dollars to help their operation within the county.
The contest is first measured by the amount of votes each of the gardens receive. The top 50 voter getters and are then placed in a selection pull with Seeds of Changes making the final choice of who receives funding.
The company is offering $310,000 worth of funds with two schools and two communities being awarded a total of $110,000 while ten schools and ten districts will be granted a total of $200,000.
In the second year of operation, the county’s community gardens continue to grow but help with finances never hurts either.
“This is a grant we applied for last year,” Jilian Reece with CAB said. “With all of the community support, we were able to make it into the round of 50 but came up short for funding. This is a project we’re very excited about. If we’re able to receive an award, we will be able to do so much more in the community.”
Individuals can vote for the Carter County Community Gardens by visiting https://seedsofchangegrant.com/GalleryDetail.aspx?id=3419 online or can access the page by visiting the Carter County Community Advisory Board Facebook page.
In the application submitted to Seeds of Change, Reece mentioned that this year CAB is working to place gardens at five target locations in the community and that money would be used to implement and expand gardens to provide opportunities for the public.
“Being a rural county, transportation is often an issue, and by implementing gardens in outlying communities, we could better serve populations that are many times lacking accessibility to fresh food and education on healthy eating and where food comes from,” Reece said in the application.
CAB has been able to put in community gardens at multiple locations already in Carter County, including the Elizabethton Housing and Development Agency and the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library.
The goal of the gardens is to continue promoting a healthy lifestyle for the general public, Reece added.
CAB will be hosting a subcommittee gathering following their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, April 6, at 1:15 inside the public library and Reece added members of the public looking to help out with the cause could attend to continue to grow the project.