INDEPENDENCE GARDENS

A nonprofit organization
Fundraise

9% complete

$10,000 Goal

#Freshfood4all

At Independence Gardens, we believe that every child deserves access to fresh, nutritious food and the opportunity to learn about healthy living. Our mission is to empower schools and communities by providing innovative programs that integrate gardening and nutrition education, fostering a lifelong love of healthy eating and sustainable living.

Our Vision

We envision a world where children are not only aware of where their food comes from but are also passionate about making informed, healthy choices. By bringing gardens into schools and teaching kids the importance of growing their own food, we aim to create a future where nutritious meals are the norm and where communities are stronger, healthier, and more connected.

Our Story

Independence Gardens was founded with a simple yet powerful idea: to transform school lunch culture by making it more nutritious, sustainable, and locally sourced. What began as a  simple school lunch between our Founder, Chonnie Richey and her daughter Sofia, grew into a dynamic nonprofit that partners with schools across North Texas to bring gardening and nutrition education into the classroom.

From our flagship HydroTower programs to our engaging culinary experiences, we strive to inspire a new generation of young gardeners and healthy eaters. Our innovative approach combines hands-on learning with practical skills, empowering students to take control of their health and well-being, one garden at a time.

 

What We Do

- The Beanstalk Project:  Our HydroTower program is designed to bring vertical, hydroponic gardening to schools, allowing students to grow fresh vegetables right in their classrooms. This innovative system not only teaches kids about sustainable food systems, plant science and nutrition but also provides fresh produce for school meals.

- The Apple Project;   We work with schools to build and maintain edible spaces that serve as outdoor classrooms. Through these gardens, students learn about plant biology, environmental science, and the importance of sustainable agriculture.

- Come and EAT IT! :  Our trademark chef driven, cooking program  bring the garden to the table, teaching students and families how to prepare healthy, delicious meals using the produce they’ve grown. By connecting food production with cooking, we reinforce the importance of making nutritious choices.

- Community Engagement: Independence Gardens is more than just a school-based program; it’s a community movement. We collaborate with local farmers, chefs, and organizations to create events and programs that celebrate healthy eating and sustainable living.


Our Impact

Since our inception, Independence Gardens has reached thousands of students across North Texas, bringing fresh, healthy food to their plates and enriching their educational experience. Our programs have not only improved school lunch quality but have also ignited a passion for gardening and healthy eating in the hearts of young learners.

By partnering with local schools and communities, we’ve been able to:

- Establish edible outdoor learning spaces and HydroTower systems.

- Educate over 10,000 students about the benefits of fresh, healthy food.

- Donate fresh food to school cafeterias and local food banks.

Join Us and Transform #schoollunch

We invite you to join us in our mission to transform school lunch culture and inspire healthy living. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, volunteer, or donor, there are countless ways to get involved and make a difference. Together, we can plant the seeds of change and nurture a healthier, more sustainable future for our children.

Giving Activity

Mission

Independence Gardens is a parent-led non-profit organization founded in 2013. Our overall mission is to give children in schools and communities access to fresh food through actionable, impactful nutrition education programs.

Needs

The Apple Project:

Outdoor Learning Spaces - $30,000 - We are looking to fund and build 10 outdoor, edible learning space in 10 elementary schools.

Tower Gardens - $10,000 - Provide 10 elementary schools with 10 Tower Gardens

Come and Eat IT: $10,000 - Expand the Come and Eat IT (chef-driven/student-led cooking program) to 20 additional elementary schools.

Equity Statement

Independence Gardens' equity goal is to create programs that provide a sense of belonging that is universally experienced. Connecting children and communities to food through actionable, impactful nutrition education programs benefits everyone by ensuring accessibility to fresh food, and taking a critical eye to systems of unequal food access; systems where healthy food access includes understanding the physical environment, the economic environment, and the sociocultural environment. This is especially critical where the devastating impact of unequal food access is more prevalent in low-income communities and where race often undermines fairness across demographics, conditions, and experiences. By prioritizing attention to racial and socio-economic equity, it will benefit all communities.

Racial Equity Statement

Independence Gardens is committed to racial equity both internally through our work environment, and externally through our programming.

- We are committed to ensuring that every policy enacted reflects democratic principles of equity and justice.

- We understand that enacting policy in a just and equitable manner considers critical issues of implicit bias and discrimination that requires concerted and purposeful action.

- We believe that bringing together Executive Board Members, staff and other partners with differing backgrounds and life experiences will enhance our ability to increase opportunities for all arts service organizations to succeed.

Policies, programs, and activities will be administered to identify and avoid discrimination and barriers to access, and to avoid disproportionately high and adverse effects on communities of color. Accountability to our grantees is of central importance to us. We understand the significance of evaluating the impact of our policymaking on grantees over time and utilizing this evaluation in the development of new policy initiatives. - We are committed to the just and equitable disbursement of resources.

- We will obtain the following information when relevant and appropriate in order to utilize data to evaluate the impact of our equity goals: population served and/or affected by race, color, national origin, and income level, which will include diverse communities across the state such as: communities of color, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, tribal communities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities that have principal languages other than English.

Building a race equity culture requires intention and effort. Independence Gardens' Racial Equity Statement should inspire greater collaboration in policy making, strengthen public will and input, and develop policymaking that has a strong commitment to advancing equity. Led by our Racial Equity Statement, we will fully integrate race equity into every aspect of our operations and programs and work toward the dismantling of structural racism wherever we encounter it and improving Independence Gardens outcomes for all.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

INDEPENDENCE GARDENS

Tax id (EIN)

46-2098916

Guidestar

Causes

Hunger & Food Access

Operating Budget

Less than $100,000

Counties Served

Fannin, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Palo Pinto, Navarro, Montague, Kaufman, Johnson, Hunt, Hood, Grayson, Erath, Ellis, Denton, Dallas, Cooke, Collin

BIPOC Serving

Other, Native American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black or African American

BIPOC Leadership

Both the Executive Director/CEO and Board Chair

Equity Statement

Equity Statement

Address

2715 Osler Drive Suite B
Grand Prairie, TX 75051

Phone

214-500-7206

Email

chonnie@independencegardens.org

Website

http://www.independencegardens.org

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