SW Community Garden Build Day JULY 31st

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On July 31, part of Lansburgh Park in Southwest Washington DC will be transformed into a beautiful and productive community garden – in a single day.

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The Lansburgh Park Community Garden was as the 2013 Project Orange Thumb garden makeover recipient from over 400 applicants. Envisioned as a place for community gardening and programming for veterans, youth and seniors, the new 8,000 square-foot garden will provide educational opportunities and give community members a place to reap the rewards of growing their own food.

Join us and Fiskars to help build the Garden by signing up to volunteer here.

Please save the date in your calendar.

SW Community Garden Build Day:
Date:  Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Time:  8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location:  Lansburgh Park – 1098 Delaware Avenue SW, Washington DC, 20024

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Southwest Community Gardens received the Fiskars garden makeover!

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Community gardening is about to expand in Southwest DC! Our group has received a national garden makeover award from Fiskars Brands, Inc., which will allow the group to build a community garden in Lansburgh Park with a budget of $50,000.  Southwest Community Gardens was the only garden to be selected for this makeover out of over 400 applicants across the US.

The Fiskars Garden Makeover will take place on one day in the summer of 2013. The community garden is expected to be built in late July or early August. Check this website and our Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up-to-date on our progress and to see how you can help.

We want to thank the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, our fiscal sponsor, and the Southwest community groups that helped us along the way. We couldn’t have done this without you!

Our garden location is finalized!

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Hello SWers and SCGers,

The location of the Southwest Community Gardens is finalized! We met with the Department of Parks and Recreation last week along with representatives from the dog park group, and after some talking we decided the best place that works for everyone (including DPR) can be seen here on this Lansburgh Park Map. This is a very exciting next step, because it means that DPR can move forward with finalizing our plans and then finding the right contractor to build the water, fencing, lighting, as well as the garden and dog park themselves. We will still need to provide all the funding necessary to build the garden itself, but DPR would supply the fencing, water, and lighting. We are told that water will be installed when the tennis courts in Lansburgh Park are converted into basketball courts, in April once the weather warms up.

Meanwhile, we are also being closely considered for a pretty major grant to support SCG’s construction — keep your fingers crossed as we receive consideration. More info soon!

Finally, we have begun the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status. It’ll take some time, but we look forward to being a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation probably sometime in late 2013 or early 2014.

‘Til next time, happy gardening!

December 1 Updates

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Planning for the garden is well underway, and our committees are busy with a flurry of activities.  The following activities are happening now:

General:

  • The group’s mission statement and publicity package are in the works.
  • The next general group meeting will be Wednesday, Dec 12 at 7pm.  Regular monthly meetings will continue every 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7pm.

Fundraising:

  • A bake sale is scheduled for Saturday, Dec 8.  Times to be announced very soon.
  • Internal fundraising has begun.
  • All fundraising is being funneled through the garden’s razoo page.

Outreach:

  • WordPress, twitter, and facebook sites have been setup.
  • The outreach committee is working on identifying stakeholders and planning additional outreach efforts.