ScottsMiracle-Gro and Local Students Bring GroGood Garden to Los Angeles

Local school garden is first in nationwide campaign

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 19 /
A group of public and private organizations teamed up with students at the Roy Romer Middle School in North Hollywood, Calif. yesterday to plant an edible garden that will create a harvest to share with local organizations to help feed the hungry.
The garden was designed to be planted and cared for by students, including many with special needs. The garden includes vegetables and herbs as well as special features to accommodate the students' needs such as raised beds. The project was coordinated by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, along with its partners Keep America Beautiful, the Garden Writers Association of America, Plant a Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association, the Franklin Park Conservatory, the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Plant a Row for the Hungry and Feeding America announced that they have joined forces in an effort to provide fresh produce to the hungry this summer and to ask Americans to take the GroGood pledge: Grow a garden for the greater good. To launch the GroGood pledge campaign, ScottsMiracle-Gro will donate 1 million pounds of produce and call on Americans to help double that donation by pledging to grow and donate an additional 1 million pounds of fresh produce to help feed those at risk for hunger.
Led by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, students at the event pledged to "grow a garden for the greater good" as part of this nationwide effort to encourage communities to grow and share fresh produce with those in need. Through the new GroGood campaign, produce from the garden will be donated to local food agencies, helping provide the hungry in Los Angeles with healthy, fresh-grown fruits and vegetables.
"This garden will be a great boost to our students' educational experience," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "The Roy Romer school garden will give students hands-on opportunities to learn from nature, grow their own food and give back to the Los Angeles community."
Nearly 7 percent of Los Angeles County, or 740,000 households, is at risk of hunger. As more people struggle to feed their families, local service organizations are faced with a growing need for food donations. In fact, requests climbed an estimated 41 percent last year, according to a regional food agency.
Los Angeles is the first of five GroGood gardens ScottsMiracle-Gro and its partners will create across the country this spring to encourage neighborhood participation in food gardening and the GroGood campaign. In addition to the Los Angeles garden, other community edible gardens are planned for Miami, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Chicago.
"Edible gardening has become a way of life in America in light of today's economic needs and societal desires for greater sustainability," said Su Lok, director of corporate and community partnerships for ScottsMiracle-Gro. "As more people look to grow their own produce this spring, we hope they will share a portion of their harvest with those in need in their community."
For more information on GroGood, food gardening and how to locate a local food agency that accepts fresh produce, please visit: www.scotts.com/grogood.