Dear Friends, Supporters, and Partners,
As 2021 comes to an end, I want to thank all our sponsors, partners, donors, volunteers, and community members who have supported Growing Places Indy and all of our initiatives this year. Without your support and contribution, our programs would not have seen the success they did.
As we move into 2022, our community will continue to face the strain and challenges of food insecurity. However, I am hopeful that we will continue to make a positive and lasting impact through our collective work. The Growing Places Indy team is dedicated to protecting the future of real food. We believe we are the critical link between local farmers, food producers, and the community.
Thanks to our dedicated farm team, volunteers, and program participants, we were able to harvest over 7,000 lbs of produce and donate 50% to local hunger relief organizations to help increase food access.
Despite all the challenges 2021 brought us, we launched new programs. We were overwhelmed with the community’s support for several of our new initiatives, including the Indy Night Market. More than 100 donors helped us raise $15,000 to bring the night market to life. As a result, the Indy Night Market series exceeded our expectations, with over 2,000 attendees at each event and 80+ local food vendors who play a critical role in the food system. This year, we also piloted our Plant it Forward Program, providing communities, schools, and families with the tools, training, and resources needed to start their home or community garden.
We expanded our signature programs, Grow Getters and Young Grow Getters, which help to train and develop the next generation of urban farmers and expose the youth to the importance of urban agriculture.
The Indy Winter Farmers Market returned in November bigger and better in a new location, The AMP Marketplace, with more vendors and more food to help increase food access on Indy’s west side community.
I want to express my gratitude to our volunteers who showed up with their masks and ready to get their hands dirty, our staff and program participants who grew and donated hundreds of pounds of food, and our supporters, United Way, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Marion County Health Department, Maywright Property Co. The Amp Marketplace, Citizen’s Energy, and IndyGo. Thank you all for being a part of our mission!
Enjoy your loved ones, wear your masks, stay socially distanced, and know that we can’t wait to see you in 2022!
Again, we thank you for your support and wish you a Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Victoria Beaty
Executive Director