Last year we launched the Garden Adoption program as an opportunity to connect local and national organizations with community gardens and food forest sites in a meaningful way that supports both the community and the organization’s sustainability and social responsibility goals.
We have seen a tremendous response from dozens of organizations and we wanted to know why they chose to Adopt a Garden as a way to give back, so we caught up with three amazing organizations – AdCellerant, Denver Broncos Foundation, and Meow Wolf – to hear from them directly how the opportunity to Adopt a Community Garden or Food Forest site has been enriching for them and their teams:
1- Why did AdCellerant decide to adopt a DUG garden?
Our two giving pillars here at AdCellerant are:
A Greener Future As a Certifiably Green Business, we are committed to a greener, more eco-friendly future, and caring for our planet.
A Better Future We are committed to a better and brighter future for our children and disadvantaged populations.
While we do give to other organizations as part of our goals of our giving pillars, we adopted Elati Community Garden and three food forests [Parkview, Cook Park and DCIS Fairmont] because we love the tangible value they provide both for the community and for our team members. We love having the opportunity to get hands on time and connect with nature in a meaningful way.
2- What was the experience like – from working with our team to coming out to the garden(s)?
We love the DUG team! Everyone has been so kind, friendly, and knowledgeable. I feel like I learn something new at each volunteer event I attend, and I’ve heard similar from our team. The garden we adopted is walking distance from the office, and it’s such a pleasant opportunity to be able to visit and be around the plants and in the sunshine.
3- What was the favorite part of this experience? and why?
My favorite part so far has been just learning all the different ways that the gardens and food forests impact our community. I am also excited to increase awareness among our team members. Nessa and Creighton gave us a great, short presentation at a company wide meeting, and I got great feedback. Our team feels like we are part of something awesome.
4- Anything else you would like the public to know about the process and your commitment to the garden
We are truly grateful to have adopted a garden and three food forests through DUG, and we are committed to supporting their mission of building sustainable and inclusive food systems. DUG’s commitment to community gardening and food forests aligns with our values of promoting equity, community engagement, and a greener future. We are proud to be a part of such a dedicated and impactful organization and look forward to continuing our work with DUG to promote sustainable and inclusive food systems for all.
1- Why did Denver Broncos Foundation decide to adopt a DUG garden?
The Denver Broncos Foundation is committed to making a positive impact on future generations by creating a “game plan” for life through youth health and wellness initiatives, dynamic in and out of school programming and access to career pathways. We’re excited to partner with Denver Urban Gardens to support the Cheltenham School Community Garden, which is just down the road from Empower Field at Mile High.
The opportunity to partner with DUG and support that neighborhood – which includes a DPS school and Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver location, two community partners we have worked with a long time – was exciting for us, especially knowing how intentional DUG is about reducing barriers to fresh, healthy, and organic food by providing access to space, knowledge, and resources for anyone wishing to grow their own produce.
In addition to increasing food access, we love that DUG school-based gardens provide an opportunity for students to experience lessons focused on nutrition, mental health, sustainability, community building, leadership, and more.
2- What was the experience like – from working with our team to coming out to the garden(s)?
It’s been a seamless process working with DUG – from meeting with them to learn about programming and the Garden Adoption program, to setting up our first volunteer opportunity at Cheltenham and beyond.
We are grateful for the support and direction of the DUG staff and volunteer team and are excited for future opportunities to support our DUG garden and the community it is in.
3- What was the favorite part of this experience? and why?
Denver Broncos staff, cheerleaders and our mascot had the opportunity to visit the Cheltenham School Community Garden in April and put in sweat equity alongside the DUG garden leader and team to help prep our garden for spring. Staff from both Empower Field at Mile High and the Centura Health Training Center rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to replace garden beds, remove weeds, compost soil and more.
It was so meaningful to have such a hands-on experience through DUG, especially around Earth Day.
1- Why did Meow Wolf decide to adopt a DUG garden?
As a B Corp, our corporate social responsibility is really focused around historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, as well as supporting environmental and sustainability efforts.
DUG has so many locations all across the Denver metro area in many spaces that serve these groups, like the Beeler St. Community Garden, which we specifically adopted, as well as falling perfectly in line with the environment and sustainability aspect with the nature of the work you do and all the great educational programming offered around them.
2- What was the experience like – from working with our team to coming out to the garden(s)? The experience has been wonderful so far! The team has been very communicative and getting to visit the Beeler St. Community Garden was such a joy. Jim and Prem were so lovely and take so much pride in the work they do, which was super inspiring. Our marketing team also loved getting to volunteer last month with planting at the Asian Pacific Development Center. It was such an informative and fun morning!
3- What was the favorite part of this experience? and why? Definitely getting to learn more about the gardens from the gardeners themselves, whether from visiting Beeler St. to volunteering, which provided so many great insights into sustainability. Just getting outside too is such a nice and much needed mental break from the day to day workflow. We love DUG! Thank you for all you do!
