2016 ANNUAL REPORT. growing a healthier community... one garden at a time! Our Mission. Our Vision

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1 2016 ANNUAL REPORT growing a healthier community... one garden at a time! Our Mission Grow a healthier community through the support and development of school and community garden programs that promote health and wellness, environmental stewardship and a sustainable local food system. Our Vision A thriving healthy community, where people are connected to their land, their food and each other through gardens.

2 A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR... Dear Friend, 2016 has been an incredible year of transformation at The Garden Project and I want to thank you for being part of our success! We started the Manna Market with our partners, a free weekly produce stand for foodinsecure families, and distributed thousands of pounds of locally grown produce to grateful families. You can help in 2017, by growing an extra row in your garden, or volunteering at the market! Our school garden programs reached a new level this year by closely partnering with Durango School District 9 R. Although not every school has a school garden, we believe every student deserves to learn about healthy nutrition and natural science through the lens of gardening. The Ohana Kuleana Community Garden successfully completed its 4th season with over 75 community garden members and 400 elementary school students growing food. Our free public workshop series reached more community members than ever before with hands on education. We are excited to expand our impact in 2017 by developing a model to better support more school and community gardens across La Plata County. Stay tuned for updates and ways to engage! During times of uncertainty in the world, we turn towards our local community for support and inspiration, believing that TOGETHER we can grow a healthier and more compassionate community. I am filled with gratitude for all of our partners, sponsors, donors and volunteers. Your belief in this powerful work uplifts us every single day! Thank you for your continued support, Sandhya Tillotson Executive Director

3 2016 BY THE NUMBERS... 3 Showcase Gardens 61 Workdays 1,618 Workshops & Event participants 828 Garden Volunteers 2,371 Volunteer Hours 1,376 Youth Program Participants

4 MANNA GARDEN at the Manna Soup Kitchen People Served 1,057 People Served 670 lbs Produce 6,260 lbs Produce Distributed Started the new MANNA MARKET Free Produce Stand. Helped food insecure families eat healthier. Educated Manna Culinary Students on Farm to Table values and skills to compliment their traditional training. 831 Volunteers at 40 workdays cared for the garden, finished the HOOP HOUSES, and built 12 new RAISED BEDS!

5 SCHOOL GARDEN EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT: Needham, Riverview, Park, Animas Valley & Sunnyside Elementary Schools & Miller Middle School Farm to School in action! SCHOOL GARDEN CLASSES reached 408 students with 6 lessons each, connecting the garden to International Baccalaureate themes. FARMER DAYS connected 1,300+ students at Riverview & Needham to local farmers with hands on activities. GARDEN BASED SCIENCE LESSONS developed with the Durango 9 R curriculum department. 33 SCHOLARSHIPS provided to low income students to attend afterschool and summer gardeni ng programs.

6 OHANA KULEANA COMMUNITY GARDEN Collaborated on 10 CONSERVATION WORKSHOPS with the La Plata Conservation District. Continued planting paradise with a PERMACULTURE CONSULTANT, adding 4 more fruit tree guilds in the FOOD FOREST! Started MONTHLY POTLUCKS after each workday, to gather together over food with our 75 garden members.

7 2016 FINANCIAL REPORT Where does our $ come from? The Garden Project's annual budget has steadily grown since 2013 ($35,000) due our staff and board's commitment to diversifying our funding streams to be more resilient in today's financial climate. As an organization we want to GROW SMARTER rather than simply grow for growth's sake. We are constantly aware of large number of other nonprofits in our community, and the reality of limited resources. This is why we PARTNER and COLLABORATE on every program we offer. The Garden Project receives no recurring government funding or tax allocation. We must compete annually for any government grants that we receive. Pat Senecal (Director of Celebrating Healthy Communities) presenting Sandhya and The Garden Project with the "Collaboration of the Year Award"

8 2016 FINANCIAL REPORT How our $ is spent Our impact in the community has grown significantly to support more robust school and community garden programs, that reach folks of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels. Nonprofits have traditionally reported administrative and program expenses separately in financial statements. New shifts in thinking are acknowledging the necessary administrative functions that allow nonprofits to successfully carry out their mission and programs. One way to acknowledge the necessity of administrative funtions is calling them what they are: Core Mission Support. This graph reflects this shift by appropriately dividing our Core Mission Support between our major programs. Core Mission Support means: Strong, strategic finance and accounting Dynamic fundraising & partner development Capable, responsive board governance Talented and engaged staff Read more about re visioning nonprofit overhead here: re visioning nonprofit overhead/

9 THANK YOU! 2016 Grantors 2016 Sponsors $2,000 $5,000 $1,000 $1,999 $500 $999 Adobe House Farm Botanical Concepts Carver Brewing Dr. Greg Mann Durango Land & Homes (Amber Johnson) $250 $499 Durango Roller Girls Grassburger Heirlooms Passion Flower Bouquet Farm The Payroll Department Pura Vida Healthcare Serious Delights Spring Mountain Growers Sunnyside Meats Tafoya Barrett & Associates Twin Buttes Wines of the San Juan

10 Click to be redirected for more info. Thanks! THANK YOU! 2016 Partners Animas High School AmeriCorps Direct Service Bayfield Elementary School Celebrating Healthy Communities City of Durango Colorado Master Gardeners Cooking Matters CSU Extension in La Plata County Durango Farmers Market Durango Rotary Club Durango School District 9 R FLC Environmental Center Growing Partners of SW Colorado Healthy Community Food Systems La Plata Conservation District La Plata Youth Services Local farmers Manna Soup Kitchen Get Involved! volunteer, donate, sign up for our newsletter, become a business sponsor Volunteer of the Year Amy volunteered in all of our garden programs and took beautiful photos to share. She also serves as our Volunteer Coordinator, helping create a fantastic experience for all our volunteers! Mercy Regional Medical Center Montezuma School to Farm Project Old Fort at Hesperus Pine River Garden Club Pine River Shares Rainbow Youth Center Roberta Shirley Head Start preschool San Juan Basin Health Department Southern Ute Community Action Program Three Springs TRIO Upward Bound and more!!

11 ABOUT US Contact Us Phone: Mailing Address: Physical Address: Visit our Website! Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram! 2016 Staff PO Box 4434, Durango, CO Main Avenue, Suite 222, Durango, CO Sandhya, Taylor, Mia, (Bottom) Brooke Sandhya Tillotson, Executive Director Mia Carrasco Songer, Ohana Kuleana Community Garden Manager Brooke Frazer, Manna Soup Kitchen Garden Coordinator Taylor Henzler, School Garden Program Coordinator Rachel Vetter, School Garden AmeriCorps Member Kari Lanphier, School Garden AmeriCorps Member 2016 Board (Left to Right) Charlie Love, Nora Stafford, Darrin Parmenter, Amber Johnson, Eric Ryba, Becky Turner, Krista Garand, Eileen Dawson, (Not Pictured) Amy Arnold, Jennifer Boyer, Tara Frazer, Dave Harris, Clint Kearns