GROW WELL MISSOURI BECOME A PARTNER

Transcription

1 BECOME A GROW WELL MISSOURI PARTNER Grow Well Missouri partners with food pantries, local organizations, and volunteers to establish food gardening programs that reach out to food pantry customers. By offering a selection of seeds, vegetable transplants, educational materials, and one-on-one advice, Grow Well Missouri helps people reap the many benefits of gardening. In 2017, Grow Well Missouri will help four to six communities get started. Grow Well Missouri currently partners with food pantries and local organizations in ten Missouri counties. Being a part of Grow Well Missouri comes with many benefits. Communities receive an assortment of cool and warm season bulk vegetable seed, materials for repacking and displaying the seed, face to face orientation for ideas on how to run the program, access to Grow Well Missouri educational materials, and Grow Well Missouri staff support throughout the year. The supplies alone are valued at up to $1,200. Food pantries, including local organizations that partner with food pantries, are eligible to apply to be a part of Grow Well Missouri. Those selected will be able to show the following: Interest among food pantry customers, food pantry leadership, volunteers, and local partners Strong project leadership A plan for where and how the program will operate within the food pantry Interest in incorporating additional project activities including vegetable transplants, short courses, gardening demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, or other. Those interested in participating are strongly encouraged to attend an informational conference call to learn more about the program. Go to /projects/grow-well-missouri-2017 to sign up for a scheduled session in September. The deadline for applying to become a partner is November 18, We anticipate awardees will be notified by December 16, For more information and to receive a copy of the Application Form, go to or contact Bill McKelvey, Grow Well Missouri Project Coordinator, at McKelveyWA@missouri.edu or

2 Grow Well Missouri Application Criteria Grow Well Missouri partners with food pantries, local organizations, and volunteers to establish food gardening programs that reach out to food pantry customers. By offering a selection of seeds, vegetable transplants, educational materials, and one-on-one advice, Grow Well Missouri helps people reap the many benefits of gardening. In 2017, Grow Well Missouri will help four to six communities get started. Grow Well Missouri currently partners with food pantries and local organizations in ten counties across Missouri. Applications will be scored on the following criteria (21 points total): General interest among food pantry customers (i.e. clients, guests) (3 pts.) Demonstration of project leadership (3 pts.) Demonstration of partnership and support from the food pantry leadership and at least one of the following groups: (5 pts.) o Master Gardeners o Garden Club o 4H o Future Farmers of America o Health department o Community Action o Other related agency, organization, or business Demonstration of volunteer support for both seed repackaging (approximately volunteers for a 3 hour period) and staffing Grow Well Missouri program during food distributions (3 pts.) Knowledge of the food pantry schedule and number of households and individuals served per month (2 pts.) A plan for where and how the program will operate within the food pantry distribution, including a proposed schedule (3 pts.) Interest in incorporating additional project activities including vegetable transplants, short courses, gardening demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, or other (2 pts.) Responsibilities of Partner Awardees If selected to be a Grow Well Missouri partner, awardees agree to the following: Attend a face-to-face orientation to cover project logistics and seed repacking demonstration. Repack seeds Schedule and staff program at the pantry Print educational materials Provide paper bags for seed distribution Keep count of participants (template provided) Acquire and distribute vegetable transplants (optional, but encouraged) Provide brief reports to and meet with Grow Well Missouri staff upon request Assist Grow Well Missouri staff with project evaluation (may include pre and post season surveys with food pantry customers)

3 Grow Well Missouri Partner Application Applicant Information Full Name: Last First M.I. Date: Address: Street Address Apartment/Unit # City State ZIP Code Phone: Food Pantry Information Food Pantry Director s Name (if different): Food Pantry Director s Phone & Food Pantry Schedule (days and hours): Which regional food bank is the pantry affiliated with: No. of households served per month at food pantry: No. of individuals served per month at food pantry:

4 Project Leadership Please tell us who will be responsible for the project. We encourage a 2-3 person leadership team. Please provide contact information if different from named person above. We reserve the right to contact those listed below during the selection process. Name: Name: Name: Partners Please list the local partners who plan to be involved along with their expected role in the project. We reserve the right to contact those listed below during the selection process. Role in Partner Name: project: Partner Contact Person: Partner Name: Partner Contact Person: Partner Name: Partner Contact Person: Role in project: Role in project: Additional Questions (Please feel free to use additional pages if needed) 1. Please tell us how you have determined the general interest in vegetable gardening and Grow Well Missouri among food pantry customers. 2. What volunteer commitments do you have in place for both the seed repacking and staffing Grow Well Missouri during food distributions?

5 3. Please describe where and how you plan to integrate the Grow Well Missouri program into food pantry distributions. 4. Considering the food pantry s hours of operation, please tell us when you plan to operate Grow Well Missouri at the food pantry. (i.e. Tentatively, what days and hours will you set up and offer the program. Please note: Groups are not required to offer the program every day the food pantry is open.) 5. Please tell us how many households you intend to reach. (Note: Based on our experience, half of all households who come to the pantry on a given day also participate in Grow Well Missouri.) 6. Please describe any ideas or plans you have to offer additional and related project activities during the growing season. Letter of Support Please include one brief letter of support from either the food pantry (if application is being submitted by a group other than the food pantry) or a partnering agency/organization.

6 Application Submission Deadline The deadline for Partner Applications is November 18, We anticipate awardees will be notified by December 16, Partner Applications can be submitted in the following ways: o By to Bill McKelvey at McKelveyWA@missouri.edu o By mail to: Bill McKelvey University of Missouri 203 Gentry Hall Columbia, MO If you have question about Grow Well Missouri or this Application, please contact Bill McKelvey at McKelveyWA@missouri.edu or Timelines and important dates Time Activity September, 2016 Information sessions for interested groups November 18 Applications due December 16 Awards announced (tentative) January February, 2017 February March Attend face to face orientation, pick up seeds, organize and obtain all seed repacking materials, organize volunteers Organize and conduct seed repacking, develop seed display, finalize logistics and schedules, outline educational components, gather educational materials Begin distributing cool season seeds and transplants April Begin distributing warm season seeds, continue with cool season seeds May Distribute warm season transplants, continue with warm season seeds June July September Distribute sweet potato slips and continue with warm season seeds until the middle of the month Consider options for additional programming, demonstrations, classes, or fall seed distribution (July), etc.