Sun Gro Horticulture Donates to Schools, Community Gardens
As Black Gold, a Sun Gro Horticulture product line,
transitions to new packaging and finalizes its line for the 2013 gardening season, the companyi is phasing out some of its products. Rather than selling to a discounter, Busenbark opted for a more philanthropic solution – to donate these valuable organic soil building materials to non-profit organizations that promote sustainable gardening.
“We are dedicated to creating products that help our customers easily grow organic food in every American backyard,” says Blair Busenbark, national marketing manager at Sun Gro Horticulture. “The problem is that non-profit organizations also need quality soil products for their organic food gardening programs, so we decided to help them out.”
Several truckloads of Black Gold products have gone to the Wasatch Community Gardens, which supplies eleven different community gardens in the Salt Lake City area.
Almost a truckload was delivered to the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), to help save gardening programs in the midst of a statewide budget crisis.
“Because of the recent budget crisis here in California, our district is feeling the pinch more than ever. We cannot emphasize how critical this donation is for our schools,” said Barry Evpak, facilities director at SCUSD
Multiple pallets of potting soil went to the Sacramento Food Bank for their demonstration garden and to help those in their classes get off to an organic start.
More than a half truckload of organic fertilizer has shipped to the Marion-Polk Food Share of Salem, Ore., which facilitates the distribution of fresh produce to the needy by developing community food gardens and urban farms.
“Fertilizer is a huge need in our network of 45+ community gardens, and your product will be extremely beneficial in helping supply healthy food to our community,” said Ingrid Evjen-Elias, garden resource coordinator.
All 24 garden boxes built by the Rotary Club were filled with potting soil at Margaret McDowell Manor, an independent living complex for low-income seniors to grow food and flowers in Portland, Ore.
Potting soil and organic fertilizers were supplied to Future Farmers of America in Oregon to support their efforts to expand their knowledge in horticulture.
Many of these fertilizers and other Black Gold products are OMRI listed, a third party certification that ensures they are all organic
For more information on Black Gold go to www.blackgold.bz.
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