Denver Urban Gardens Helps Local Residents Answer Obama Family Call to Connect Through Community Gardens
(Denver) March 23, 2009 – As the Obama family breaks ground for their new vegetable garden on the south lawn of the White house, Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) urges local residents to partake in community gardening as a means of promoting health and strengthening community ties.
Founded in 1985, DUG operates and assists with the creation and management of more than 80 metro-area community gardens. Through these gardens, participants are empowered with responsibility of bettering their community, initiating a sense of pride in their surroundings and improving their nutritional status through healthy, fresh food.
In a White House interview this month with The New York Times, Mrs. Obama said of her new garden, “Its most important role will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.”
As Denver’s flagship urban agriculture organization, DUG helps more than 25,000 people annually through education programs, providing nutritious food, and fostering neighborhood collaboration.
“Participants in DUG’s community gardens throughout the Denver metro-area will produce more than 200 tons of healthy, homegrown fruits and vegetables for not only themselves, but local food banks, shelters and others in need this year,” said Michael Buchenau, DUG executive director.
Mrs. Obama also emphasized the important role played by the nation's many community gardens in giving city dwellers the opportunity to grow their own fresh food and make connections with their neighbors.
As metro-area residents have intensified their efforts to address both the economic crisis and the obesity epidemic, many have turned to DUG for help. In response, DUG has worked side-by-side with them to coordinate and build 20 new community gardens in the past two years, and has more than 10 new garden projects on the horizon for completion in 2009.
“A community garden is a remarkable place of refuge, as well as an oasis where neighbors with diverse cultural backgrounds can gather to work and grow together,” said Buchenau. “For so many, engaging in a community garden has become a very real and lasting way to respond to the serious challenges in their lives.”
For more information about how you can get involved with Denver Urban Gardens, please visit www.dug.org.
Founded in 1985, DUG operates and assists with the creation and management of more than 80 metro-area community gardens. Through these gardens, participants are empowered with responsibility of bettering their community, initiating a sense of pride in their surroundings and improving their nutritional status through healthy, fresh food.
In a White House interview this month with The New York Times, Mrs. Obama said of her new garden, “Its most important role will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.”
As Denver’s flagship urban agriculture organization, DUG helps more than 25,000 people annually through education programs, providing nutritious food, and fostering neighborhood collaboration.
“Participants in DUG’s community gardens throughout the Denver metro-area will produce more than 200 tons of healthy, homegrown fruits and vegetables for not only themselves, but local food banks, shelters and others in need this year,” said Michael Buchenau, DUG executive director.
Mrs. Obama also emphasized the important role played by the nation's many community gardens in giving city dwellers the opportunity to grow their own fresh food and make connections with their neighbors.
As metro-area residents have intensified their efforts to address both the economic crisis and the obesity epidemic, many have turned to DUG for help. In response, DUG has worked side-by-side with them to coordinate and build 20 new community gardens in the past two years, and has more than 10 new garden projects on the horizon for completion in 2009.
“A community garden is a remarkable place of refuge, as well as an oasis where neighbors with diverse cultural backgrounds can gather to work and grow together,” said Buchenau. “For so many, engaging in a community garden has become a very real and lasting way to respond to the serious challenges in their lives.”
For more information about how you can get involved with Denver Urban Gardens, please visit www.dug.org.
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