A grant worth $1.5 million from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be shared amongst six winners, two of which are based in Gwinnett County. The grant is aimed at not only supporting production from community gardens, it is also intended to help advance different agricultural initiatives. Together with the University of Georgia’s Archway Partnership, the USDA met with multiple dozens of local residents at town halls to get feedback on how the grant should be divided up. Representatives of the duo then met with farmers and the like to see what their needs were before deciding on which organizations were to receive the funds. The strategic distribution of this fund serves as a significant boost to each of the selected initiatives.
Emerging from an extremely competitive process, two programs rooted in Gwinnett County stood out and have now received a financial influx through this grant. Peachtree Farms, located in Peachtree Corners, and Change Church, in Duluth , were both chosen to receive funding worth $145,000. Peachtree Farms, who aims to offer local fresh produce, is a nonprofit focused on employing adults with disabilities.
The projects place their focus on a variety of different sectors yet are united in their commitment towards fostering positive change and innovation within their respective domains. This newly secured funding provides an ideal foundation to further steer the projects towards their defined goals.
More information about the organizations chosen both in Gwinnett and around the state can be found here.