Community partners
To the many individuals, businesses, foundations, and government grants that support the Ithaca Community Gardens and our mission and work: Thank you for making us possible. Together, we make the Gardens a welcoming space for our members and the Ithaca community.
Over the years, we have been privileged to partner with the following organizations:
The Park Foundation; United Way; Sustainable Tompkins; Greenstar; Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA); The Finger Lakes ReUse Center; Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County; Friendship Donations Network (FDN); Ithaca Carshare; Tompkins Community Action (TCAction); Challenge Workforce Solutions, Unity House of Cayuga County; Cultura Ithaca; Dispositional Alternatives Program (DAP), Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca (Youth Services); the Rainbow Healing Center of America, Inc.; Northern Light Learning Center; Home Depot, Lowes.
Examples of our collaborations include:
- Friendship Donations Network
Founded in 1988 by Sara Pines, Friendship Donations Network’s mission is to rescue fresh nutritious food from stores and farms that would otherwise be thrown away and redistribute it to neighbors in need. This is accomplished by an extensive network of volunteers who pick up donations of mostly perishable excess and day-old food and deliver them to pantries and programs that serve in excess of 2,100 people weekly.
- Tompkins Community Action
We have a working partnership with Tompkins Community Action: they donate plants in the spring, and we donate vegetables to their food pantries.
- Community Group Garden Plots
We provide free plots to community organizations who use them for educational programs and activities that directly benefit underserved populations: In the past, these organizations have included Challenge Workforce Solutions (people with disabilities), Unity House of Cayuga County (people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or in recovery), ¡Cultura Ithaca!, Dispositional Alternatives Program (youth at risk), Northern Light Learning Center (homeschooled children), and the Rainbow Healing Center of America, Inc.
The Ithaca Community Gardens was chosen as one of the three non-profits to participate in GreenStar’s “Bring Your Own Bag, Use It for Good” program for April to June 2015. Shoppers who brought their own bag were given a wooden token and were able to chose what charity would receive a donation. GreenStar donated five cents for each token given to the Gardens. Thanks to everyone who participated.