The Garden District Corporation

The Big Picture

The Garden District is a 100% volunteer-powered nonprofit cultivating food access, leadership, and resilient green spaces across Columbus. Our network of NINE community gardens and farms feeds families, trains new growers, and transforms underused land into thriving community assets.

This GivingTuesday, we aim to raise $15,000 to strengthen food access and the programs that make it possible.

The Roots of Your Gift

1. Food Access (The Heart of Our Mission)

   • Startup funds for our first CSA program with home delivery, ensuring fresh food reaches families directly.

   • Coverage of farmers market vendor fees, insurance, and supplies so produce can be sold and donated affordably across the city.

   • Support for free farmstands at our gardens so neighbors can access fresh produce without cost.

2. Leadership Development

   • Garden Cultivator Program → empowering neighborhood leaders to manage sites, coordinate events, and engage the community.

   • Become the Farmer Program → scholarships, training, and high tunnel infrastructure for aspiring urban farmers.

3. Sustainable Practices

   • Chicken coops at the South Side Community Farm for eggs, soil health, and youth education.

   • Irrigation systems and soil-building practices that ensure reliable harvests year after year.

4. Community Spaces

   • Renovating the South Side Fruit Park into the Fruit & Flower Park — blending food production, pollinator habitat, and neighborhood gathering space.

5. Community Gardens (The Foundation)

   • Funding for NINE community gardens and farms across Columbus.

   • Covering soil, compost, seeds, plants, irrigation, and tools to keep plots productive and affordable.

   • Supporting school gardens, communal plots, and garden-based education.

Why It Matters

Your GivingTuesday gift ensures:

• Families have direct access to fresh, local food.

• Leaders are trained and supported to grow and share that food.

• Sustainable systems like high tunnels and chicken coops keep gardens productive.

• Community spaces thrive as hubs of food, beauty, and connection.

• 9 gardens remain strong, feeding Columbus and anchoring neighborhoods.

Together, we’re planting today so Columbus can feed tomorrow.