Washington Evening Journal
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Sustainable Living Coalition applies for grant
Andy Hallman
Nov. 17, 2021 11:22 am
A group of Fairfield organizations are preparing a grant that will help with bringing local food to food banks.
The Sustainable Living Coalition is applying for a Community Development Block Grant through the City of Fairfield for $100,000. The scope of the project includes assisting a local food bank and addressing food insecurity, which will involve purchasing equipment and training to ensure access to quality nutrient dense local produce.
“When Fairfield was in lockdown in April of 2020 during COVID, there was an intense amount of panic gardening,” stated the grant application from the Sustainable Living Coalition. “The community was deeply concerned that the food supply was going to be limited and that they needed to figure out how to grow food for themselves and their families. Many people who were gardening for the first time in order to supplement food to feed their families quickly learned that they didn’t have the tools, resources or education to see their garden through to production through the end of the season.”
If the organization succeeds in obtaining the grant, it hopes to use the money to promote home gardening, supporting a plant nursery that provides plant starts, compost and mulch, and to educate the public on how to grow and cook their own food.
The SLC has established numerous partnerships that will help achieve these goals. Just a few of them include the Fairfield Gardeners Coalition, Wild Spirits Farm, Southeast Iowa Food Hub, and many more such as local churches.