1) Springfield Promise Neighborhood is renovating and expanding the Visioning Garden, an
open and free community garden serving low and moderate residents in the city of Springfield.
This request supports the need for additional raised garden beds that will provide an
intergenerational space for growing and food production education. The new beds will serve
adult and youth family members and will be an essential element of the Family Growth Center
being established within the Visioning Garden to address food scarcity and promote healthy
eating practices. This project will contribute beauty and purpose to the ongoing community
development efforts in an under-resourced neighborhood.
2) For the primary service, youth and adult volunteers will construct new raised beds within a
new Family Growth Center area. As a secondary and interrelated service, volunteers will
enhance the space by laying gravel paths around the new beds, picking up trash/debris, planting
existing flower beds, and preparing existing garden beds for planting with new compost and soil.
3) This project will continue to benefit the community by providing a durable set of organic
garden beds to add to the infrastructure for ongoing intergenerational education. The service of
cleaning and preparing existing beds within the Family Growth Center space will add to the
ongoing opportunity for youth and adults to enjoy and practice urban gardening. This project
targets low to moderate income families and children, specifically neighborhood youth attending
the closest elementary and middle schools. Approximately 500 youth attend these schools.
4) This project will engage neighborhood and area youth by providing them firsthand experience
in designing and building a specialized garden bed. As a demonstration and education growing
space, the new beds will allow children and families to experiment with growing different
vegetables, and participating in growing and harvesting activities under the guidance of garden
staff, including a newly hired Resident Garden Facilitator. Significantly, the new Family Growth
Center of the Visioning Garden location serves as a central location for educational sessions and
projects related to growing, harvesting, preparing, and consuming fresh, healthy foods.
