Harker Heights Community Garden
The Harker Heights Food Center has applied for a 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Insecurity Nutrition Initiative (FINI) Supplemental Nutrition Incentive Program (SNAP) grant to build a community garden utilizing four acres donated for this purpose in partnership with the First Baptist Church of Harker Heights.
Purpose
The purpose of our Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant application for fiscal year 2017 is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables among low-income consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by creating a community garden in Harker Heights, Texas.
Our Request for Application (RFA) presents the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system within our community to foster understanding of how to improve the nutrition and health of participating households by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Our RFA is replicable by other economically disadvantaged communities. It is often disadvantaged communities such as ours that suffer the most from poor health effects brought about by the under consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Benefits of a Community Garden
The benefits of a community garden are well documented. Community gardens improve users’ health through increased fresh vegetable consumption and providing a venue for exercise. A fundamental part of good health is a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and other plant based foods. Community gardens provide access to such foods for the communities in which they are located. Community gardens are especially important in communities with large concentrations of low socioeconomic populations, as a lack of fresh fruit and vegetable availability plagues these communities at disproportionate rates.
Community gardens have been shown to have positive health effects on those who participate in the programs, particularly in the areas of decreasing body mass index and lower rates of obesity. Studies have found that community gardens in schools have been found to improve average body mass index in children. Studies indicate that obese or overweight children improve their body mass index when the consumption of fruits and vegetables increase. Many studies have been performed largely in low-income, Hispanic/Latino communities in the United States. In these programs, gardening lessons were accompanied by nutrition and cooking classes and optional parent engagement. Successful programs highlighted the necessity of culturally tailored programming.
Community Impacts
Community gardens have been credited with an array of beneficial outcomes for participants. These include local political activism; environmental education where participants learn about sustainable urban agriculture, biodiversity and improved waste management; and opportunities for training, employment and local economic development in the form of markets and food co-operatives. Nevertheless, the most significant and widely reported benefits are associated with individual and community health and well-being. Gardens require physical exertion, provide relief from stress and engender creativity, participation with nature and a sense of stewardship for the land. Individuals reap direct benefits from the physical activity involved in gardening and having access to fresh, cheap produce on a daily basis.
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The Harker Heights Food Center has applied for a 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Insecurity Nutrition Initiative (FINI) Supplemental Nutrition Incentive Program (SNAP) grant to build a community garden utilizing four acres donated for this purpose in partnership with the First Baptist Church of Harker Heights.
Purpose
The purpose of our Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant application for fiscal year 2017 is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables among low-income consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by creating a community garden in Harker Heights, Texas.
Our Request for Application (RFA) presents the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system within our community to foster understanding of how to improve the nutrition and health of participating households by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Our RFA is replicable by other economically disadvantaged communities. It is often disadvantaged communities such as ours that suffer the most from poor health effects brought about by the under consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Benefits of a Community Garden
The benefits of a community garden are well documented. Community gardens improve users’ health through increased fresh vegetable consumption and providing a venue for exercise. A fundamental part of good health is a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and other plant based foods. Community gardens provide access to such foods for the communities in which they are located. Community gardens are especially important in communities with large concentrations of low socioeconomic populations, as a lack of fresh fruit and vegetable availability plagues these communities at disproportionate rates.
Community gardens have been shown to have positive health effects on those who participate in the programs, particularly in the areas of decreasing body mass index and lower rates of obesity. Studies have found that community gardens in schools have been found to improve average body mass index in children. Studies indicate that obese or overweight children improve their body mass index when the consumption of fruits and vegetables increase. Many studies have been performed largely in low-income, Hispanic/Latino communities in the United States. In these programs, gardening lessons were accompanied by nutrition and cooking classes and optional parent engagement. Successful programs highlighted the necessity of culturally tailored programming.
Community Impacts
Community gardens have been credited with an array of beneficial outcomes for participants. These include local political activism; environmental education where participants learn about sustainable urban agriculture, biodiversity and improved waste management; and opportunities for training, employment and local economic development in the form of markets and food co-operatives. Nevertheless, the most significant and widely reported benefits are associated with individual and community health and well-being. Gardens require physical exertion, provide relief from stress and engender creativity, participation with nature and a sense of stewardship for the land. Individuals reap direct benefits from the physical activity involved in gardening and having access to fresh, cheap produce on a daily basis.
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