ABG Impact in 2013

ABG Highlights from 2013

Alameda Backyard Growers proves that a small group of people with big hearts and a lot of community support can accomplish great things! Take a look at our highlights of our group’s progress and impact in 2013:

  1. Donated 5,000 Pounds of Local Fruit to the Food Bank
    • In 2013, ABG donated 5,202 pounds of fruit picked from local trees to the Alameda Food Bank! (Compared to 2,327 pounds in 2012 and 996 pounds in 2011.) Gleaned fruit included apples, oranges, lemons, plums, and persimmons.
    • Re-launched gleaning program under the name Project PICK. Here’s how it works: after fruit tree owners contact ABG, we send volunteers to pick the surplus fruit and bring it to the Alameda Food Bank where it is typically distributed to food bank clients within 24 hours. Please call (510) 239-PICK or email us at alamedabackyardgrowers@gmail.com if you have a fruit tree you would like gleaned or if you would like to volunteer.
  2. Organized Monthly Community Education Workshops & Special Events
    • ABG has held free gardening workshops every month since we launched in March 2010. Topics this year included: Beneficial Insects, Soil Basics, Composting, Lead Safe Gardening, Raising Backyard Chickens, and Greywater Systems.
    • On February 17, 2013, ABG celebrated its third anniversary with a free community screening of the film, “The Economics of Happiness” at the Alameda Main Library. More than 40 people attended the event.
    • More than 20 gardeners took to the streets in the Mayor’s Fourth of July Parade to raise awareness of Alameda Backyard Growers as a community resource, to encourage Alamedans to grow and eat their own fruits and veggies, and to share their surplus with the Alameda Food Bank. This year (our third), ABG volunteers carried beautiful hand-lettered signs while two scarecrow mascots cruised along in a truck with new banners promoting Project PICK.
  3. Held Our Second Urban Farm Tour and Tomato Tasting
    • On September 14, 2013, ABG held its biennial Urban Farm Tour and Tomato Tasting event which drew approximately 100 people to 7 sites across the island, including the Farm2Market urban farm and Alameda Point Collaborative community gardens.
    • The event was supported by 23 volunteers and raised nearly $900 for Project PICK and ABG’s free community education workshops which are held monthly at Rhythmix Cultural Works.
  4. Increased Our Capacity and Strengthened Our Collaborations
    • In 2013, ABG became an Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. We have 11 active Board members and 500+ contacts on our distribution list. Donations from more than 40 founding donors helped provide operating funds for the year.
    • With a grant from StopWaste.org, Project PICK organized two educational workshops and established the “Branching Out” pilot program which provides tree pruning services to improve fruit production and quality, thus diverting inedible fruit from green bins.

Click here for a downloadable flyer on ABG’s Highlights for 2013.

Highlights from previous years: