Grant Application and Guidelines
Application Deadline ~ February 20, 2012
This application should be submitted to Michelle Wells at the NC Recreation & Park Association by 5pm on February 20, 2012. Please type your information in the form below, save the file to your system, and send as an email attachment to . You will receive confirmation of your application being received. Note: There are 2 additional attachments noted below that are required for your application to be considered complete.
Location/Agency
County: Wilson
Park & Recreation Agency Name: City of Wilson Parks and Recreation
Director’s Name: David Lee
Garden Manager who is responsible for reporting to Nourishing NC
Name: Reverend Russell Nanney, Associate Pastor
Agency (if applicable): Wilson First United Methodist Church
Phone (include area code): 252-237-6121
Email:
Garden Information:
Name of Park where Nourishing NC Garden will be: Reid Street Community Center
Street Address of Park: 901 N. Reid Street
City: Wilson State: NC Zip: 27893
This garden location is on public land? Yes No If No, your garden is not eligible for funding.
If your garden will not be located on park property, please give name/location of requested site and a brief description of why it is not being located on park property: n/a
Is this a new or existing garden? New garden.
If existing, how long has it been a working garden? n/a
If this is a garden to be revived, how long has the garden been non-working? n/a
Does this garden location have access to water? Yes No
Please tell us about the population this garden will serve. Does this garden target one or more of the potentially underserved/at-risk-populations?
The Reid Street Community Center is located in and serves one of the City's lowest-income and highest poverty areas. According to the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, the median annual household income for the census tract (Census Tract 7) in which the Community Center is located is $19,748, with 37.7% of those households earning under $14,999. 47% of of all people within this census tract are in poverty. For comparison, the median household income for the City of Wilson is $34,975, with 25% of the total population in poverty. A broader picture of overall community need is shown by the fact that the City's child poverty rate ranked at 38% in 2010 (according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey). The child poverty rate has increased rapidly within the last few years.
The neighborhood is predominantly African-American neighborhood. 73.7% of the population within the tract is African American (according to 2010 US Census data), 12.5% is white, and 11.6% is some other race.
According to a recent study, in 2010 Wilson's congressional district area ranked second in the entire nation in food hardship. Food hardship is defined as whether someone answered "yes" when asked if there were times in the last twelve months they did not have enough food to buy their family the food needed ("Food Hardship in America - 2010," Food Action Research Center, March 2011). The Bronx was the only area that ranked higher. Additionally, the census tract and the Reid Street Community Center are located adjacent to three "food deserts" as identified by the Economic Research Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The area has a lack of healthy food options and is a low-socioeconomic minority community and as such is also considered a food desert by the community. Further, 15% of the City does not have access to a motor vehicle, a number that is likely much higher in low-income neighborhoods. These residents thus have even less access to healthy foods.
It is the intent of this garden to serve these underserved and at-risk populations.
Funding Needs:
What are the funding needs for this garden? Be specific with how the funding will be used:
Item / Amount of Funding RequestedRoto Tiller / $500.00
10x10 Prefabricated Storage Building (Garden Shed) / $1,600.00
Lumber and hardware for raised beds, compost bin, and bench / $400
Water supply connection / $500
Total amount of funding requested (max $3000): $3,000
Any comments regarding your funding request you would like to share?
The grant will help pay for a portion of the cost to connect to the water supply and create two main water connections to which water hoses can be connected. This cost-sharing will enable the City to afford to fund the remaining costs of the water hook-up.
The Church has a dedicated congregation and garden committee who have committed to a partial match of the grant funding and provide funding for all remaining garden supplies and needs, including wheel barrows, rakes, hoes, waterhoses, spades, sprinklers, fertilizer, compost, all advertising needs (for advertising when the garden is expanded to include community members, and to advertise educational classes available to the community), and other necessary garden items.
Community Partners: List community partners and the role they will play in supporting the NNC garden. (Information will be verified with the contacts listed below)
Cooperative Extension Contact Name: Cyndi Lauderdale
Phone: (252) 237-0113 Email:
What role will they play? Cyndi is committed to playing a supportive role and to being readily available to answer questions about best gardening practices. Cyndi will also commit to providing educational classes such as basic planting techniqes or soil sampling.
Health Department Contact Name: Barbara Williams
Phone: (252) 237-3141 ext. 6681 Email:
What role will they play? The Wilson County Health Department is dedicated to addressing health issues through preventative measures. As such, the Health Department will provide educational sessions to gardeners and the community on the importance of healthy eating and related topics. This education will be provided through the Health Department's Health Education and Health Promotion programs.
Have you made contact with your local Master Gardeners? Yes No
If yes, please list the contact person: Linda May (president)
Phone: 252-291-8667 Email:
What role will they play? Linda will provide a role as a contact and coordinator for the Master Gardeners, working to schedule Master Gardeners for educational sessions. The Master Gardeners will provide another source of educational opportunities/classes for the gardeners and community on how to grow healthy food.
Additional Community Partners:
Agency Name: Wilson First United Methodist Church
Contact Name: Reverend Russell Nanney
Phone: 252-237-6121 Email:
What role will they play? The Wilson United Methodist Church will be the primary entity responsible for the care of the garden, working in partnership with the City of Wilson. A "community garden committee" has been created, consisting of dedicated members of the congregation, many of whom are farmers and knowledgable about how to successfully garden. The intent of the Church is to provide all food from the garden to those in need through its non-profit organization, Hope Station, which works to provide food and fulfill basic needs of those in need. The Church will not only tend to the garden, but has plans to provide educational outreach to the surrounding community by hosting classes in the garden available to residents to learn how to grow their own food, and working with local elementary schoools located in low-income neighborhoods to teach students about healthy eating habits.
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(If additional space is needed to list community partners, please check here and list on a separate page.
Submit this additional page as an attachment with your emailed application)
Produce Partner(s): The agency, organization, homeless shelter, food pantry, food rescue organization, etc. that our garden will donate at least 10% of our produce to:
Name of Agency/Group: Hope Station, a non-profit started by Wilson First United Methodist Church
Contact Person: Reverend Russell Nanney, Associate Pastor
Address: 100 Green Street, NE
City: Wilson State: NC Zip: 27893
Email: Phone: 252-237-6121
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Garden Team: Please list at least ten individuals who will have an active role in garden work and who make up the garden team; list their organizational affiliation if applicable and the role they will play.
1. Name: Reverend Russell Nanney Organization (if applicable): Wilson First United Methodist Church (First UMC)
Their role: Supervisor of Garden Committee
2. Name: Judy Davis Organization (if applicable): First UMC
Their role: Chair of the First UMC Garden Committee
3. Name: Doris Craft Organization (if applicable): First UMC
Their role: Chair of Mission and Outreach Committee at First UMC/Member of Garden Committee
4. Name: Bill Tyson Organization (if applicable): First UMC
Their role: Farmer/Member of the First UMC Garden Committee
5. Name: Jean Walston Organization (if applicable): First UMC
Their role: Member of the First UMC Garden Committee
6. Name: Carla Bryant Organization (if applicable): First UMC
Their role: Member of the First UMC Garden Committee
7. Name: Hope Newton Organization (if applicable): First UMC
Their role: Member of the First UMC Garden Committee/Hand In Hand Representative (Hand In Hand is a ministry partnering with Margaret Hearne Elementary School, a school in the church's neighborhood. The church provides mentoring, tutoring, lunch buddies, donations etc. to these children, where almost 100% are from low-income families.)
8. Name: Marsha Vick Organization (if applicable): First UMC
Their role: Member of the First UMC Garden Committee
9. Name: Emily Beddingfield Organization (if applicable): City of Wilson
Their role: Liaison between the First UMC and the City of Wilson and City representative for the garden
10. Name: Michelle Brown Organization (if applicable): City of Wilson
Their role: Biologist/Planner with the City of Wilson, offering education and past community gardening experience.
Narrative: For questions with character limits, MS Word can provide you this information by using the Word Count function
Please provide a brief narrative of your community garden project and needs: Include strategy and evidence that your approach can be effective in achieving the goals of the Nourishing NC project. You can find the goals online at www.ncrpa.net/NourishingNC
Max of 2000 characters including spaces:
The following was written by Reverend Russell Nanney:
In February of 2010, God placed a call upon my heart to take bold steps to feed poverty-stricken families in the City of Wilson. As described earlier, Wilson is a city that ranks second in the entire country in food hardship. Also, our child poverty rate ranked at 38% in 2010 according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and the garden is located in one of the City's high poverty areas. Our child poverty rate has increased rapidly within the last few years. The City of Wilson is ripe for change, and I believe that God is calling First UMC and the City of Wilson to feed hungry children in our city.
In 2010 I traveled with two of our garden committee members to Anathoth community garden near Hillsborough, NC. We were inspired by their efforts to feed local families. Their community garden provides reconciliation among community members, fresh food for children, educational opportunities, and physical exercise for children. We were also amazed by the number of people who were impacted by this garden. Anathoth is in an area that is less populated and it has a much lower poverty rate than the City of Wilson. Having said this, a community garden is Wilson is long overdue.
Within the last two years our church has worked very closely with the City of Wilson devising a plan for a community garden. After several meetings, many hours of research, and several hours educating community members, First United Methodist Church and the City of Wilson are ready to begin.
We are thrilled to have a two acre plot of land that has been carefully chosen for its prime location. It is located beside the Reed Street Community Center and it sits squarely in the heart of Wilson’s worst poverty. Also, it is located less than a mile from First United Methodist Church, which is one of the largest churches in the community with 1700 members.
How do you plan to create a garden that will have a long and vibrant role in the community? Max of 2000 characters including spaces
The following was written by Reverend Russell Nanney:
Our preparation for this garden began two years ago. We have taken all the appropriate steps to ensure that the City of Wilson and First UMC is ready to begin with a well-planned, well thought out plan. The congregation is extremely passionate about this garden and several members have committed to be the backbone of this project. They have already formed a Community Garden Committee. The project is "shovel-ready," and we are simply waiting for grant money and other donations. This grant allows us the opportunity to fulfill the goals for the garden as envisioned by the First UMC and the City of Wilson. The Church congregation is committed to providing donations to continue the garden past the life of the grant.
The garden represents a partnership between the City of Wilson and First UMC, with the garden on city-owned property. The City and First UMC have an agreement that the land will be used as a community garden for the foreseeable future, and the City has no plans to develop that land to other purposes. It will be the Church's responsibility to oversee this garden. Eventually, we will utilize the entire two acre plot of land within the next three years. However, we believe that starting small is vitally important to the long-term success of the garden.
We have a growth plan for the garden, beginning with a half acre of gardening space. The second year will expand the garden to include another acre and will provide opportunities for educational field trips from Margaret Hearne Elementary. The third year, we will begin to expand the program to include community members, creating a membership plan where members can work in the garden to receive food to feed their family. Please see the Timeline for more information.