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Grow Your Park

Connecting children to nature, gardening, fresh food, and nutritional education through community-based edible garden programs.

Garden programs are key to broadening children’s exposure to and knowledge of the foods that lead to lifelong nutritional decision-making. Especially in urban and underserved areas, the clear benefits of introducing young people to food sources, outdoor activity in concert with conservation, and the importance of healthy fruits and vegetables in creating nutritional stewardship are evident.

NRPA's Grow Your Park program is made possible through support from the National Recreation Foundation and the J.R. Albert Foundation.  Currently, twenty park and recreation agencies have been awarded grants to expand their community garden programs.  Agencies are using the funds to improve their programs, expand their gardens, and involve more children. Grow Your Park agencies Include:  

  • Pensacola, Florida - Pensacola Parks and Recreation 
  • Iowa City, Iowa - Iowa City Parks and Recreation 
  • Evanston, Illinois - Evanston Parks, Recreation and Community Services 
  • Pekin, Illinois - Pekin Park District 
  • Peoria, Illinois - Peoria Park District 
  • Rockford, Illinois - Rockford Park District 
  • Topeka, Kansas - Topeka Parks and Recreation 
  • Shreveport, Louisiana - Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation 
  • Baltimore, Maryland - The Friends of Patterson Park 
  • Lansing, Michigan - Lansing Parks and Recreation 
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota - Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board 
  • Oxford, Mississippi - Oxford Park Commission 
  • Lincoln, Nebraska - Lincoln Parks and Recreation 
  • Omaha, Nebraska - Omaha Parks, Recreation and Public Property 
  • Reno, Nevada - Reno Parks, Recreation & Community Services 
  • Dayton, Ohio - Five Rivers MetroParks 
  • Springfield, Ohio - National Trail Parks and Recreation District 
  • Eugene, Oregon - Eugene Recreation 
  • Columbia, South Carolina - Richland County Recreation Foundation 
  • McAllen, Texas - McAllen Parks and Recreation 

For more information, contact Jimmy O’Connor. 
 

Community Gardening Handbook

NRPA has developed a Grow Your Park handbook specifically designed for park and recreation agencies to plan, fund, implement, and sustain community garden programs. This resource will help park and recreation professionals better serve their communities by increasing youth participation, nutritional awareness, and stewardship. 
   

Grow Your Park Initiative 
 View The Handbook 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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