Proejct sketch on the community garden

The ultimate goal of my grant writing and fundraising class this semester is to be able to construct a real grant proposal for a local nonprofit in San Antonio. Through some previous volunteer experience, I have decided to work with the San Antonio Food Bank on their Community Garden. With the aid of an excerpt from the book "The Art of Funding and Implementing Ideas: A Guide to Proposal Development and Project Management," I have been able to find my footing toward the final grant proposal by beginning with a project sketch.

The Spurs Community Garden is an extension of the San Antonio Food Bank's already well

Image found at safoodbank.org

established Nutrition Education program. The garden is 5.5 acres of land located right on sight with the San Antonio Food Bank and has a wide variety of healthy living elements including fruit trees, a large production garden and a walking trail. It was created to help contribute to a healthier San Antonio through the goals of producing large quantities of organic fruits and vegetables to be distributed to the food insecure, provide nutrition education as well as positive ways to improve the environment and promoting community service through numerous volunteer opportunities in the garden itself. Through these opportunities and more, the Spurs Community Garden can impact a large number of San Antonio residents in a positive manner.

The San Antonio Food Bank Spur Community Garden has already reached impressive goals, including having produced 2,640 pounds of produce in the first year of operation. The costs of the program include the cost of seeds, compost, gardening tools, building materials and at times, labor. In partnership with the San Antonio Spurs basketball team, the community garden is funded through sponsorship with businesses in the San Antonio and South Texas area as well as through some grant funding. In order to maintain and grow the Spurs Community Garden, the San Antonio Food Bank needs to maintain current relationships with sponsors as well as finding new ones and seeking out grant opportunities. 

For more information on the Spurs Community Garden, please visit these sites:

• http://www.safoodbank.org/index.php/programs/nutrition/community-garden
• http://www.safoodbank.org/images/pdf/community-garden.pdf