Walmart–Evergreen Green Grant The Home Depot–Evergreen Rebuilding Nature Grant Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds School Ground Greening Grants Fido–Evergreen Quick Start Grants

Walmart–Evergreen Green Grants

In 2011, Walmart Canada and Evergreen were pleased to support these community groups in their efforts to restore and steward local green spaces in cities and towns across Canada.

Trout Unlimited Canada/Nose Creek Watershed Partnership – Calgary, AB
Nose Creek Rehabilitation Project – Improving water quality in Nose Creek has become a priority for the municipalities it flows through in an effort to protect downstream users from the negative effects of poor water quality. The NCWP will work with volunteers to remove litter and invasive plant species, plant native trees and shrubs and monitor for the presence or absence of fish throughout the creek.

Pacific Parklands Foundation – Burnaby, BC
Tynehead Ecological Restoration – Metro Vancouver and the Pacific Parklands Foundation will partner with various community groups and organizations to restore the natural environment surrounding a 6.5km multi-use paved trail around Tynehead East. Various stewardship events will be held to re-naturalize the area and to provide education on how natural and human activities have shaped the ecosystem.

posAbilities – Burnaby, BC
Can You Dig It – This project focuses on facilitating the development of community gardens in collaboration with Ladybug Art Gardens and individuals with developmental disabilities. Community members will be able to participate in the development of several accessible gardens and to deliver or participate in various workshops on organic gardening.

Peachland Sportsman’s Association – Peachland, BC
Trepanier Creek Riparian Restoration Project – This project will allow the ONA to renaturalize a grassy area adjacent to the Trepanier Creek. Community volunteers will take ownership of the project and provide on-going maintenance.

Canadian Mental Health Association – Port Alberni, BC
Canadian Mental Health Horticulture Program – The CMHA branch in Port Alberni is currently running a horticulture project in which participants are able to grow food crops on local land. In addition to benefitting the area’s natural environment, this project will provide local, nutritious food to participants and community members while offering meaningful and rewarding volunteer experiences for people who live with persistent and serious mental illnesses.

Broombusters Invasive Plant Society – Qualicum Beach, BC
Broombusters Invasive Plant Society – Broombusters focuses on widespread public education about the damage resulting from the spread of Scotch Broom as well as how to remove it. In addition to encouraging members of the community to remove this species whenever possible, Broombusters will also be leading weekend community removal opportunities every weekend for 2 months in the summer.

East Richmond Community Association – Richmond, BC
Cambie Hollow Restoration – Cambie Hollow is the current headwater of Bath Slough, one of Richmond’s few remaining natural sloughs. The ERCA will work to restore this area by engaging the community in the development of an improved drainage system and a wetland onsite to improve the slough’s natural function.

Ksan Society – Terrace, BC
Northern Fresh Foods Project – Greenhouses will be installed to serve the low-income and homeless population of Terrace and the surrounding communities. Participants will be able to volunteer on the project and gain valuable community garden skills.

Growing Chefs! – Vancouver, BC
Classroom Gardening Program – The Growing Chefs! Classroom Gardening Program pairs teams of three chef volunteers with elementary school classrooms to help students plant indoor vegetable gardens. Over three and a half months, the chefs visit the classroom every 2 weeks, helping students tend their gardens and engaging them in hands-on activities focusing on urban agriculture, nutrition and sustainability.

Okanagan Nation Alliance – Westbank, BC
Okanagan River Restoration Initiative – Developed over the last 11 years with input from fisheries, authorities, consultants, and project partners, this project will provide native vegetation to river bank areas, excavated wetland perimeters and newly created floodplain habitats to initiate early bank stabilization. This will result in more shade, cover and potential food sources for fish and wildlife.

Brandon Friendship Centre – Brandon, MB
Unka’s Garden/Daycare Flower Beds – This project is a continuation of a food garden project initiated in 2010. This year the focus will be on developing a natural play space for children at the centre to encourage outdoor play and interaction with the natural environment.

Gillam Pre-School & Child Centre Cooperative Inc. – Gillam, MB
Windy Whisper Woods: Gillam Pre School & Child Centre Natural Playspace – This natural playspace will be constructed to provide children with a weather-protected “playtrium” to enable “outdoor” play throughout the year in spite of severe winter weather. Several native trees and shrubs will also be planted outside to shelter play areas from wind and to educate children about the history of the land.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg – Winnipeg, MB
Clean Machine Habitat Restoration – This project aims to restore, enhance and revitalize several ecologically significant areas of Winnipeg. A team of 4–6 youth will work on three projects: Riparian forest area restoration, Prairie restoration and supporting community garden maintenance in the core area.

Daniel McIntyre/St. Matthews Community Association – Winnipeg, MB
Jacob Penner Park Community Garden – This project will help residents create a positive space for healing, enjoying outdoor activities and connecting with nature. Raised beds will be constructed for community members to use to grow and harvest edible plants, and a native prairie plant garden will be developed as a centerpiece for the garden.

Henteleff Park Foundation – Winnipeg, MB
Henteleff Park Naturalization Project – This project aims to increase the riparian zone along the Red River which has been extensively damaged in recent years due to high river levels. Approximately 230 native trees and shrubs will be planted with 400 forbs, grasses and 200 bare root trees potted and planted in the nursery for 2012.

River East Neighbourhood Network Trail Committee – Winnipeg, MB
Prairie Restoration Along the NE Pioneer Greenway – The goal of this project is to increase the quality of the prairie habitat located along the Northeast Pioneers Greenway by planting various native seeds and prairie wildflowers into some of the degraded prairie along the trail. Volunteers from community groups and schools will be able to participate in restoration activities and long term maintenance along the NPG.

New Brunswick Community Harvest Gardens Inc. – Fredericton, NB
St. Mary’s Community Garden – This 62-plot community garden reconnects local community members to the land through the reclamation and protection of urban green spaces, the development of a sustainable local food source, and education on water and waste conservation techniques and soil restoration techniques.

YMCA of Greater Moncton – Moncton, NB
YMCA Community Garden – This project will provide green space and urban agricultural land for people living in apartments or homes without gardens. People who access the YMCA food bank will also be offered a plot in the community garden, improving the food security of the area.

The Western Environment Centre – Corner Brook, NL
The Corner Brook Community Garden – This project will focus on the expansion of an existing pilot community garden in Corner Brook as well as the development of a second garden site. Several raised beds will be added to increase the capacity of the gardens as well as a greenhouse to extend the growing season.

St. John’s Safer Soil – St. John’s, NL
Common Ground – This project focuses on the continuation of St. John’s Safer Soil’s demonstration food garden and phytoremediation and lead soil contamination research. In addition, the organization will work on Newfoundland’s first demonstration of biochar as an organic soil amendment and the installation of the province’s first liquid solar “bubble” greenhouse.

The Mount Community Garden – Bedford, NS
The Mount Community Garden – Will focus on revitalizing a high-density housing area by integrating personal land access. Specifically, the garden will incite reflection on the value of environmental stewardship and local/nutritious food production.

Canadian National Institute for the Blind – Yellowknife, NT
CNIB’s Square Foot Gardening Project – This garden will provide therapeutic benefits for people who struggle with vision loss and physical limitations. The garden will allow participants to enjoy participating in a hobby independently and to enjoy fresh, local, organic food.

Ontario Streams – Aurora, ON
Richmond Hill Headwaters Rehabilitation Program – This project will involve planting at a variety of creeks that are inhabited by redside dace or that have the potential of supporting them. The vegetation will improve the water quality by protecting stream banks, filtering the water and providing shade, habitat and flood control.

Bolton & District Horticultural Society – Bolton, ON
Dick’s Dam Park Environmental Project – The goal of this project is to improve the environment in the Humber River watershed by removing invasive species and planting native and non-native trees and shrubs to reduce erosion and improve wildlife habitat. BDHS will provide a Flora and Fauna monitoring program for primary school students to conduct Spring/Fall surveys of the park.

Burlington Green Environmental Association – Burlington, ON
Burlington Green 2011 Stewardship Series – This stewardship project will focus on the planting of approximately 600 native plant species and invasive plant removal in Lasalle Park, a 21-hectare waterfront park in Burlington. The Burlington Green Stewardship Series is unique because of its close partnership with the BurlingtonGreen Youth Network.

Rare Charitable Research Reserve – Cambridge, ON
Restoration Meets Education – This project seeks to maximize rare’s restoration efforts by creating an on-site native tree nursery which will then be integrated into the organization’s educational programming. This project involves restoring degraded lands using native, indigenous seed stock and building these efforts into their educational programs.

Elephant Thoughts – Collingwood, ON
Georgian Triangle Eco Action Center Community Garden – The goal of this community garden is to promote environmental awareness, respect and protection of all elements of nature. The garden will allow for intergenerational participation and cooperation in achieving an enhanced appreciation of organic gardening and food growing skills.

Waterloo Region Green Solutions – Kitchener, ON
REEP Habitat and Rain Garden Project – The construction of a native plant garden in the back yard of REEP House will provide staff with the opportunity to teach the public about the impacts of the natural landscape degradation in urban areas. Volunteers will be able to participate in the development of the garden and to attend habitat and rain garden workshops.

Credit Valley Conservation Foundation – Mississauga, ON
Demonstrative Community Rain Garden – This rain garden will be the first of its kind in the Credit River Watershed. Once developed, the rain gardens will retain and filter 70% of all the runoff from a massive 2 hectare parking lot and shade 2 hectares of asphalt.

Six Nations Community Planning – Ohsweken, ON
Six Nations Community Garden – This garden will be a place where youth and elders can go to bridge the generation gap and share in traditional activities. The community will be re-introduced to Traditional practices through hands-on interaction and participation in community gardening activities.

Grey Bruce Children’s Water Education Festival – Owen Sound, ON
Grey Bruce Children’s Water Festival – The event takes place over 4 days. Students learn about the wise use, conservation, and protection of water and water sources and the stewardship of the surrounding environment through the use of 45 interactive activity centres.

Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve Inc. – Parry Sound, ON
Grow Green Parry Sound – This project will help improve water quality by reducing run-off, creating wildlife habitat and educating area residents on the value of naturalization through shoreline naturalization activities. Various native plants will be planted along the Seguin River at William St. Park and residents will have the opportunity to participate in gardening skills workshops.

Richmond Hill Naturalists – Richmond Hill, ON
13th Annual Richmond Hill Mill Pond Splash Eco Festival – This free environmental fair will see participants take part in activities such as gardening, nature walks, and tree planting. The goal of the event is to inform citizens about environmental volunteer opportunities and to demonstrate to families how easy it is to make positive environmental contributions through daily activities.

Rideau Environmental Action League – Smiths Falls, ON
The REAL Community Garden – REAL, a group of community organizations in Eastern Ontario, will develop a community garden to address food security, food quality, health and eating habits in the community of Smiths Falls. This project will also facilitate the implementation of classes, workshops and training lessons in plant selection, planting, growing, harvesting, storage and cooking.

Perth County Historical Foundation – Stratford, ON
Fryfogel Arboretum – This project involves the enhancement of the natural site associated with the historic Fryfogel Inn. The goal of this project is to enhance the woodlot areas by planting understory, midstory and canopy climax species of native plants.

Junction Creek Stewardship Committee – Sudbury, ON
Replant the Creek! A Native Tree Planting Initiative – This project is dedicated to replanting sections of Junction Creek which were planted with non-native Black Willows in the 1970’s. This section of the creek will be re-planted to combat the issue of shoreline erosion and to naturalize the public space.

Trees Thunder Bay – Thunder Bay, ON
Tree Stewardship Program – An accelerated cost-shared initiative birthed by the group that will match and double any donation received to plant trees. The city’s urban forest is in a state of crisis, so the goal of this project is to increase the number of trees and create a web of stewards to maintain trees planted in 2011.

Friends of Fort York & Garrison Common – Toronto, ON
Fort York Community Gardens – Fort York Garden is a co-operatively run community of residents and neighbourhood groups who share a common interest in sustainability, urban organic gardening and growing their own food. This project will focus on successfully maintaining the Fort York Community Garden, at the historic Fort York site, to ensure that all members can grow their own food.

Friends of the Rouge Watershed – Toronto, ON
Habitat Restoration on Priority Bob Hunter Memorial Park Sites – This project will re-establish a forest and wetland connection between the ecologically significant Carolinian forests of the Box Grove Forest to the west and the Little Rouge Valley to the east.

Central Toronto Community Health Centres – Toronto, ON
CTCH – Queen West – The CTCHC will continue to transform the side of the community health centre into a native plant garden with a focus on sacred Aboriginal plants and medicinal herbs. The proposed garden will be a healing garden, and will also be used to grow healthy, local, organic produce for cooking programs.

Harbourfront Community Centre – Toronto, ON
Harbourfront Community Connect Gardens – A project to provide free services in the area of long-term food security, nutritional education, and training in food preparation. The Harbourfront Community Centre works with community members of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds to develop community programs in downtown Toronto.

Growing for Green – Toronto, ON
Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard – In addition to the continued development and maintenance of the fruit orchard at Ben Nobleman Park, a green roof will be introduced to the park to teach volunteers about green roof care and maintenance. Various events will also be organized in the park including a fruit tree pruning workshop, educational day for underprivileged youth and the second annual Harvest Festival.

Community Action Resource Centre – Toronto, ON
Emmett Ave. Community Garden – The Emmett Community garden is for residents of a low-income community, part of the Weston-Mt. Denis priority neighbourhood, as defined by the City of Toronto-United Way. The garden provides a community focal point and a safe place for local residents and community members to participate as a community and grow their own local, organic food.

SKETCH – Toronto, ON
Sculpting Community – This project will allow SKETCH staff and participants to collaborate with established arts professionals to create a satellite clay studio. Participants will create a multi-purpose brick kiln/sound sculpture, develop workshops and explore healthy and active green living through gardening, cycling and community kitchen programming.

Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre – Toronto, ON
7 Grandfathers Garden – This project will provide opportunities for members from Toronto Council Fire to plant, harvest and gather Traditional medicines and foods and receive Traditional medicine teachings. This partnership is intended to nurture the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual Teachings of love, honesty, respect, bravery, humility, trust and wisdom.

Stratford Area Watershed Group – Stratford, PE
Keppoch Park Enhancement Project – This project seeks to bring the wooded area of the park back to a more natural state, providing a natural playground for local children in an area of declining forest stands and increasing urbanization. Native trees and shrubs will be planted to attract wildlife and increase biodiversity in the area.

Friends of Covehead Brackley Bay – York, PE
Planting Long-lived trees and food shrubs for wildlife along streams and rivers – To increase the environmental sustainability of various stream banks and riparian areas in PEI, various native trees and shrubs will be planted to stabilize banks, provide habitat and shelter for wildlife, store water and spread seed to surrounding areas.

Les Amis des Jardins de Métis – Grand-Métis, QC
L’élyme des sables à la rescousse de nos berges – In December 2010, the coastline along the Mitis river was severely impacted by the rising sea level which cut and removed several kilometres of coastline, while also damaging the homes of residents. This project will focus on the planting of dune grass to reduce the impact of the rising river and increasing population on the coastline, preserving and stabilizing the Mitis River banks.

Pousses Urbaines – Montreal, QC
Embellir le Centre communautaire Lapalme – Phase 2 – For the first phase of this project, 30 volunteers worked with the community to install a composter and seating and planted several hundred native trees and shrubs. For phase 2, Pousses Urbaines will work with the community to plant more native trees and shrubs, install seating along a pathway and increase the accessibility of the site.

Le Bon Dieu dans la rue – Montreal, QC
Dig this! Community Garden Project – This project will employ street youth to build and maintain the infrastructure for a vibrant community garden and gathering space. These youth will develop the garden by installing composters, educational signage, planting native wildflowers, trees and shrubs and building a swing set for the community gathering place.

Santropol Roulant – Montreal, QC
Edible Campus Garden – A continuation of the organization’s transformation of underutilized concrete space on the McGill University Campus and Santropol Roulant site into productive food gardens. Workshops and other public participation opportunities will be provided to encourage experimentation with urban agriculture in public or private spaces.

Le Y des femmes de Montreal (YWCA) – Montreal, QC
Direction Verticale – The YWCA in Montreal will transform the roof of the YWCA building into a community rooftop garden, with organically grown herbs, vegetables and fruit shrubs. In addition to providing healthy, local, organic produce for community members and volunteers, this garden will become a shaded oasis in the centre of the city.

Les Amis de la Montagne – Montreal, QC
Agir pour la biodiversité du Mont-Royal – As a continuation of their work on Mount Royal, Les amis de la montagne will work to increase the biodiversity of the mountain while conducting research on the best practices for removing and stopping the spread of invasive Buckthorn. In addition to working at 8 research stations across the mountain to measure biomass removed through buckthorn removal events, Les amis will also work with volunteers to plant various native trees and shrubs and educate visitors on the importance of native plant populations on Mount Royal.

Organisme des bassins versants de la Capitale – Quebec, QC
Aménagement d’un jardin pluvial au Club Nautique du lac Beauport – This project will focus on the development of a rain garden along Lake Beauport. This garden will help to reduce and clean run-off from the Lake Beauport Yacht Club, while providing education for community members and visitors through signage.

Allen Sapp Gallery – North Battleford, SK
North Battleford Healing Garden – The North Battleford Healing Garden, composed of traditional Aboriginal medicinal plants from the region, is the first phase of a larger plan to link the city’s two public galleries with an Art Walk. The Healing Garden will be located on the grounds of the Allen Sapp Gallery and will be used in the educational programs for school groups, by gallery patrons and the wider community.

Ness Creek Cultural & Recreational Society – Saskatoon, SK
Ness Creek Forest Garden Project, Passive Solar Green House and Community Garden – The forest garden will be a leading example of sustainable local food production and will include perennial plant, shrubs and fruit trees planted together in highly designed guilds. A greenhouse will also be installed made with used tires and packed with rock and earth for passive solar heating.

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The Home Depot – Evergreen Rebuilding Nature Grant

In 2011, The Home Depot Foundation Canada and Evergreen were pleased to support the following organizations in their work to rebuild nature through environmental restoration and stewardship projects.

Green Timbers Heritage Society – New Westminster, BC
Green Timbers Lake Shore Improvement and “Greening Green Timbers Day” – In partnership with Surrey’s Urban Forest and Environmental programs, GTUF will construct a terraced surface that will limit erosion in the forest while improving lake access for local community members and students. In addition, a “Greening Green Timbers Day” will be organized, including native planting, cleanup and bird box construction opportunities for volunteers.

FoodCycles Community Soil and Food Projects Inc. – Toronto, ON
Compost 2011 – FoodCycles’ goal for 2011 is to increase the capacity of the vermi-composting and composting systems in order to make good quality compost more available in the city. In addition to increasing FoodCycles’ composting capacity, the organization will be working to increase the yield of healthy organic produce grown on-site in parc Downsview Park.

Ville en Vert Inc./Éco-Quartier Ahunstic-Cartierville – Montreal, QC
Halte Verte Cartierville – The focus of this project is on the development of a greenspace in the Ahunstic-Cartierville neighborhood to increase biodiversity in the area and to educate the community about environmental issues in their neighbourhood. This project will reduce the urban heat-island effect through the planting of only native species of trees and shrubs, while attracting pollinators to the area through the pollinator garden.

Sierra Club-Prairie – Edmonton, AB
ReSkilling Edmonton – An intergenerational project seeking to connect under-served community members with those that are able to teach self-sufficiency skills such as gardening, preserving, mending clothing, weather-stripping, plumbing, etc. Several workshops will be developed throughout 2011, strengthening the organization’s network of “specialists”.

Immigrants Integration and Farming Worker Co-op Ltd. – Winnipeg, MB
Rainbow Community Garden – This garden was created to bring new and old community members together through healthy, fun and skill-developing activities. New immigrants living in the neighbourhood, as well as single mothers are provided with opportunities to grow and access healthy, local, organic produce while interacting with their neighbours and developing new skills.

SeaChange Marine Conservation Society – Brentwood Bay, BC
Place of Blue Grouse: Connecting Culture to Place – Working with local First Nations Youth Groups, SeaChange will work with BC Parks on a 100th year celebration of Gowland Tod Provincial Park with educational events focused on traditional uses of native medicinal plants and native plant planting events.

Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) St. John – St John, NB
Reforestation of a man-made stream in St. John – A new 1000m stream was created in 2010 as part of a municipal infrastructure project, called Phinney Hill Stream. ACAP plans on planting new overhanging vegetation in the riparian zone to improve the quality of the aquatic ecosystem. The project will allow for ACAP to completely re-naturalize the only man-made watercourse in the region, as well as to establish best management protocols for future restoration projects in the area.

Omamiwinini Pimadjwowin – The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre – Golden Lake, ON
Cultural Programming Wigwam – This project seeks to develop an outdoor expansion of the Algonquin Way Cultural Centre through the construction of a traditional birch bark Wigwam. This extra programming space will be used to maintain and expand the centre’s traditional Algonquin philosophy programming emphasizing their balance with nature. The Wigwam will be designed to be easily transported to schools and other events to teach the community about the cultural heritage of the Algonquin Nation and the incorporation of natural materials into the community’s built landscape.

Ward 1 Community Action Network – Sudbury, ON
Ward 1 Community Garden and Sustainable Shed Project – The goal of this project is to design and build a sustainable shed for the Ward 1 community garden, involving community residents in the design and building process. An international sustainable shed design competition will be launched by the Laurentian School of Architecture in order to select a winning shed design for this project.

Kahnawake Environment Protection Office – Kahnawake, QC
Building a Sustainable Community from our Roots – KEPO will be moving its headquarters to the Kanata Healthy House to promote sustainable living concepts. The house will provide hands-on examples of sustainable building materials, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The focus of this project is on establishing a sustainable and pesticide-free landscape around the Kanata Healthy House with native fruit trees, demonstration gardens, compost areas, tree-rescue nurseries and improved wildlife habitat.

Cochrane Branches and Banks Environmental Foundation – Cochrane, AB
Bighill Creek and Cochrane Ranche Habitat Enhancement – 2011 initiatives will focus on re-establishing Bighill Creek as a trout spawning tributary of the Bow River by planting pre-rooted willows and poplars in targeted areas. The organization will also work on the next phase of a slope stabilization project near Bighill Creek. Native grasses will be planted in the area to reduce erosion.

Fraser Valley Conservancy – Abbotsford, BC
Auchenway Wildlife Corridor – This property was recently purchased and restored by the FVC. The creek in the area (Ryder Creek) has been returned to its original channel; however the hillside remains unstable and continues to cloud the creek with silt. To stabilize the slopes and increase the wildlife population of the area, a wooden footbridge will be built as well as bird and bat boxes for wildlife habitat. The restoration of both aquatic and terrestrial habitats will enable the restoration of the wildlife corridor through the site.

Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society – NL – St. John’s, NL
Seabird Conservation & Habitat improvement along the southern shore – In order to reduce the negative effects of light pollution on young seabird populations and nesting colonies, CPWAS-NL has developed a coastal lighting modification program along the southern shore of NL to reduce the occurrence of these seabirds straying from their natural habitat due to man-made interferences. Bird boxes will be built to hold stranded birds overnight until daylight returns and shades for ocean-facing street lights will also be built to dim the light reaching the ocean.

The Karma Project – Victoria Harbour, ON
The Ecology Garden – This project focuses on the issue of food security, touching on the related problems of poverty, lack of environmental education, and the effects of a mental health centre and correctional facility on a small population. Marginalized groups will be included in the re-creation of productive food gardens, combining traditional, individual and group community gardening activities on site. 20 additional raised beds will be built this year in addition to a new on-site greenhouse.

Regina Handcycle Club – Regina, SK
Wascana Trails Redevelopment Project – The Regina Handcycle Club would like to construct North America’s first off road hand cycling trails that will be accessible to people with disabilities in the area. The trails are currently used for hiking and mountain biking activities and are in need of maintenance to reduce the impact on local plant life. Native plants will be purchased to re-naturalize areas damaged by off-trail activities.

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Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds School Ground Greening Grants

The Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds Program has awarded $226,030 to 117 schools and daycares across Canada through the generous support of Toyota Canada Inc. and its Dealerships, Research in Motion (RIM), BC Teacher’s Federation, BMO Capital Markets, Bridgestone Canada Inc., Capital One, Cascades Tissue Group, Green Street, Ontario EcoSchools, CCL Industries Inc., Community Foundation of Ottawa, FIDO, The Foundation of Greater Montreal, ING Direct, Ontario Ministry of the Environment–Community Go Green Fund, The Schad Foundation, The Winnipeg Foundation, Newman’s Own Foundation and an anonymous foundation.

We are proud to present the list of 2010–2011 funding recipients. Congratulations to all participating schools and daycares!

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Fido–Evergreen
Quick Start Grant Program

In 2011, Fido and Evergreen were pleased to support these community groups in their efforts to restore and steward local green spaces in 11 cities across Canada:

Banff Trail Community Association – Calgary, AB
BTCA Community Organic Garden – The BTCA garden is currently able to provide raised beds for forty families to grow their own food. Funding for this project will allow the garden to support more families with the addition of a pergola, community orchard and additional garden materials.

Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association – Calgary, AB
Kensington Community First Garden – This project will see the development of garden plots in the Kensington First Community Garden and will also work on the development of a children’s garden. Community members and volunteers will have access to their own planting spaces (to grow food and native plants) as well as programs developed with the local community centre.

Silver Springs Community Association – Calgary, AB
The Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs – The botanical gardens were created following the development of a 7,000-tree forest in the area. This funding will support the continued development of this volunteer-run garden, which is growing in popularity in the community as a recreational and educational destination.

Green & Gold Community Garden – Edmonton, AB
Green & Gold Community Garden Enhancement – This project will enhance the Green & Gold Community Garden with the addition of improved signage, garden supplies and providing volunteer support. The garden provides fresh, local vegetables for members and volunteers and acts as a community gathering place. In addition to local benefits, the garden supports the Tubahumurize project in Rwanda, an initiative that provides health and trauma counseling, micro-credit loans and vocational training opportunities for women survivors of violence and poverty.

Parkallen Community League – Edmonton, AB
Parkallen Sprouts Garden – The Parkallen Sprouts will construct and tend a children's garden within the larger Community Garden. “Sprouts” (children from the community) will learn about gardening, composting, food security, community building, ecology and permaculture by getting their hands dirty through various gardening programs.

St. Albert Parish – Edmonton, AB
St. Albert Parish Heritage Garden – Funding for this project will allow the group to develop a plan for the future to enable more community members to benefit from the garden. Food harvested from the garden in the spring will be distributed to the garden’s members as well as being donated to the local food bank. Community members will also benefit from various cooking and preserving workshops.

Twin Brooks Community League – Edmonton, AB
Twin Brooks Community Garden – This garden was created in response to a number of residents who had expressed a strong desire to cultivate their own plot of land in the community. This funding will enable the Twin Brooks Community League to create publicly accessible garden plots which will be available to all residents who have a passion for gardening.

Family Services of Greater Vancouver – Vancouver, BC
GROW – This program focuses on enabling seniors and low-income families to work together to develop and main a sustainable community garden—growing and harvesting food crops and cooking and consuming nutritious meals. Educational elements of this project include intensive seasonal gardening and composting workshops such as weekly hands on sessions on growing organic vegetables, herbs and native fruit, gardening skills and effective use of mulch and compost sessions with participants.

REACH Multicultural Family Centre – Vancouver, BC
La Cosecha Community Garden Upgrade and Access Project – The "La Cosecha" (Spanish for "the Harvest") Community Garden project was established in 2007. Funding for this project will enable the group to expand and maintain the site which continues to grow in popularity. The social aspect of the project is extremely important for the refugee/immigrant population of the garden members as, being newcomers to Canada, they often become isolated within the community.

Richmond Nature Park Society – Richmond, BC
Bog Conservation – The Richmond Nature Park is located in the center of Richmond where it has become surrounded by farms and urban development, which enable the spread of harmful invasive plant species. This project is part of ongoing efforts to restore areas of the park that are critically impacted by invasive species.

Seymour Salmonid Society – Vancouver, BC
Salmonid Restoration – In response to the construction of a dam and other man-made interferences along the river, the Seymour Salmonid Society will work with volunteers to promote the growth of the local salmon population, through improvements in habitat and research and by conducting surveys of naturally spawning salmon. Volunteers will learn about the importance of protecting salmon habitat and will provide the community with various valuable educational opportunities relating to their local ecosystem.

Friends of Tod Creek Watershed – Victoria, BC
Whitehead Park Streamside Restoration – With a history of farming, beach development and overgrown invasive trees and plants, much of the natural beauty and integrity of the Whitehead Park has been lost. This group has worked with Saanich Parks & Recreation to improve the public play section of the park and are now working on the restoration of the natural area on the east side of the stream. Funding will support the addition of native trees, wildflowers and a recreational trail to this site.

Goward House Society – Victoria, BC
Boundary Naturalization – The main objective of this project is to remove invasive shrubs and vines from a 5-metre-wide strip of municipal public land bordering 135 metres of privately-owned properties. This will create a publicly visible demonstration site of urban woodland restoration while providing various environmental education opportunities for community members.

Horticulture Centre of The Pacific – Victoria, BC
Wetland Restoration – The pond, wetland and surrounding forest of the centre have been restored over the past 32 years and the seasonal creek is one of the final sections to receive attention. The centre will work with a group of adults from the community with developmental disabilities to restore this site through invasive plant species removal and native planting activities.

Nature Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB
Enhancing Forest Restoration Diversity – In the spring of 2012, the organization hopes to re-plant a nearby public park area with native understory species to return the forest to its natural state. In addition, more sites will be planted with native species to speed up the restoration of these forested plots.

Winnipeg Central Mosque – Winnipeg, MB
WCM Community Garden – This project will focus on the transformation of the WCM’s under-utilized parking lots into a community-friendly garden space. This new space will include raised vegetable beds for community members to garden as well as some native flower beds and fruit trees.

Seeds For Change – Toronto, ON
Growing To Give Community Garden – The Growing to Give Garden contributes to the neighborhood’s sustainability plan by providing students and community members with hands-on education through growing, harvesting and sharing locally grown food in an underutilized space. The garden’s harvest is donated to community members in need and has donated 120 pounds of organic vegetables to members of the community to date.

Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre – Toronto, ON
Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Program – This project focuses on the development of two community gardens; one at street level and one rooftop garden. In addition to providing volunteers with access to each garden site, this project will also provide aboriginal teachings on reconciliation to Mother Earth, indigenous plants and cultural and traditional practices and ceremonies.

Toronto Green Community – Toronto, ON
Urban Worms – Through their work with communities across Toronto, TGC emphasizes the importance of composting, specifically vermicomposting, for apartment dwellers with minimal space. Recognizing the difficulty for community members to access composting worms for private and community composting projects due to the high costs and inaccessibility, the groups would like to establish a medium-scale worm composting operation at the Eglinton community garden site. This project will provide the community with various important educational opportunities and will serve as a resource for community gardens across the city.

Friends of the Coves Subwatershed Inc. – London, ON
Greenway Park Community Tree Planting Project – The Greenway Park Community Tree Planting project will involve the planting of 217 native trees and shrubs. This project will help to expand the area being re-naturalized, which acts as a buffer between the street and a wetland. This project is important as it involves the local community in becoming stewards of the natural environment.

Hillside Church – London, ON
The Hillside Community Garden – Hillside Community Garden will comprised a communal garden plot (harvested to supplement the food hamper program) and individual allotments (available for personal produce). The garden will provide opportunities for those in the community to meet, share, learn, grow and help those in need. The core ethos is focused on fostering both social inclusion, environmental responsibility and a modest level of food security.

London Community Resource Centre – London, ON
Knowledge Garden – This project will focus on the continued development and maintenance of the organization’s Knowledge Garden. This garden is growing in popularity in London and provides the community with various opportunities to improve their gardening, composting and environmental stewardship skills through interaction with other community members of various gardening skill levels.

Comité de concertation et de valorisation du bassin de la rivière Richelieu (COVABAR) – Montréal, QC
Sensibilisation et actions riveraines à Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu – This project will focus on the development and delivery of a “river awareness day.” Volunteers and community members will be given the opportunity to participate in tours of the area and to learn about actions that they can take as individuals to protect the local aquatic environment. Pamphlets focused on the theme "Waterfront" will be developed and distributed as an additional educational resource.

Comité écologique de grand Montréal – Montréal, QC
Projet de restauration et d'aménagement faunique du Boiséde Sainte-Sulpice – Restoration of the Saint Sulpice forest in Montréal, the only natural green space within a 3 km radius, which acts as an ecologically significant location along the Kahnawake-Piedmont migratory corridor. Invasive species will be removed from the area, followed by the planting of over 850 trees and shrubs, and 2,250 herbaceous plants.

Santropol Roulant – Montréal, QC
Santropol Roulant's Four Season Growing Project – This project seeks to introduce community members to the benefits of gardening and eating locally sourced foods, with a specific focus on how this can be achieved in colder climates. To achieve this, Santropol Roulant will grow cold tolerant greens and garlic in their community garden beds and rooftop greenhouse (on the McGill Campus and at the head office) through the fall and winter months. Workshops will also be provided on Four Season Growing and Seedlings 101.

Centre Alimentaire Aylmer – Gatineau, QC
Semer l'entraide – “Sowing assistance” is one of the initiatives of the CAA, which focuses on the improvement of food security for low-income families in the community through the development of its community gardens. Under the supervision of trainers, youth produce plants that are then donated to needy families participating in community gardens. Each year the project produces about 1,000 plants which are then distributed to over thirty f