This year, Gardening Know How’s School and Community Garden Sponsorship Program was fortunate enough to help support 20 gardens with $1,000 each. These gardens represent a wide array of community and school programs, from Florida to Saskatchewan and many places in between. Each has its own unique and powerful story, and we’re excited to share them with you. Every other week we’ll highlight one of our sponsorship recipients to help spread the word about how amazing they really are. This week we are featuring Community Outreach Ministries.

Community Outreach Ministries, located in Bolivar, Missouri, is an organization that helps people throughout Polk County, MO in whatever way necessary, whether it be with food, household goods, or a little extra financial support to get by.

One of the major ways the organization does good is through their food pantry, which feeds 1,000 to 1,500 people every month. In 2017 they gained a community garden that was started by a Bolivar 4H group. The garden has already helped feed more people healthier food, and plans are underway to make it even better.

This growing season, with a donation of cedar planks, they’ve added a bunch of new raised beds, and with Gardening Know How’s grant, they’ve added soil, compost, fertilizer, and innumerable other essential tools, making the garden all the more advanced and efficient. They’ve also added a rain barrel and compost tumbler, and plan to begin hosting nutritional classes in the garden. There are big future plans to install a greenhouse and expand to year-round produce production.

With the grant from Gardening Know How, the Community Outreach Ministries of Bolivar, Missouri will be able to feed more people in need and encourage community members to get involved and even start their own gardens. We’re proud to be able to help them realize this dream.