Green Pastures Fund Awards $11K in Grants
SHEFFIELD, Mass. — The Green Pastures Fund has awarded $11,000 in grants to seven nonprofits in the Berkshire Taconic region, including Greenagers Community Gardens.The fund was established at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in 1999 by an anonymous donor. Its mission is to preserve and encourage small, community-based agricultural ventures which might include, but are not limited to: community-supported agriculture; local farmers' markets; urban garden programs; agricultural scholarships; cooperative programming; internships; grantwriting; and marketing.
"Greenagers is extremely thankful to the Green Pastures fund for its continued support of our community gardening and agricultural education programming," said Will Conklin, executive director of Greenagers. "This year, funds will go toward improving education and access at the Berkshire South Regional Community Center, our Front Lawn Food Program, and toward our summer work with local farms. This work could not happen without Berkshire Taconic and the Green Pastures fund."
Grants were awarded to:
Greenagers Community Gardens: $2,000 to combine its Front Lawn Food program with a Community Garden at Berkshire South Regional Community Center.
Gould Farm: $1,500 for bulk feed storage bins to help preserve feed for its animals.
Southern Berkshire Regional School District: $1,000 to help students enrolled in agriculture classes at Mount Everett Regional High School tour local farms and agribusinesses.
BNRC Agricultural Commission: $3,000 to help establish a pilot small grant program for Berkshire County agricultural commissions (AgComs).
Project Native: $2,000 to help support development and maintenance of interpretative native woodland, meadow and wildlife trails.
Cornwall Housing Corp.: $1,000 to help support the Cornwall Farmers Market.
Central Berkshire Regional School District: $500 to help revitalize a greenhouse/gardening program at Nessacus Regional Middle School in Dalton.
