Summary
Organization name
Victory Gardens
2015
Tax id (EIN)
47-3645892
Category
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
P.O. Box 843Nederland, CO 80466
Boulder County, CO, US
Please help us in this community effort to build local food security and energy independence in Nederland and surrounding mountain towns. Your support is crucial to us in the pursuit of our mission goals.
"It was such a blessing to have Victory Gardens come help Teens, Inc. to get a garden set up! Not only did they help us do the work, they gave tours to our high school students and taught them how to garden, use tools, and get a compost pile going. We will not only have a garden for generations to come where the community can come for food, but they continue to inspire local youth to live sustainably and continue gardening."
-Sandy Chervenak, Science Teacher, Chinook West High School
"THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! I couldn't have done in 3 seasons what we accomplished in one afternoon!"
-Karelle Scharff
"Volunteering with Victory Gardens in Nederland was a wonderful experience. Their efforts reach beyond their flagship garden, empowering our community to strengthen our self-reliance and sustainability right from our own home, no matter the yard size. Jim's onsite visit last summer to help me plan out my own Victory Garden was so beneficial. I look forward to putting those ideas into action this spring!"
Sarah Bishop
Victory Gardens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Nederland a more resilient community, primarily through local food production and renewable energy. At our garden farm on W. 3rd Street, we grow food, using regenerative methods, and teach others to do the same. We sell our produce locally and donate to the Nederland Food Pantry. We believe that a strong local food system is the foundation of a sustainable community.
We are committed to a grassroots initiative based on the principles of self-reliance, community, and sustainable living. We advocate a practical and common-sense approach that integrates local knowledge, science and technology, education, and information sharing. Our strategy is to begin with where we are, utilizing the material and human resources that already exist in the community. Drawing from the knowledge and creativity of local residents, we hope to build a more resilient community to meet the challenges posed by an uncertain future.
In September of 2013, the Colorado Front Range experienced a 1-in-1,000 year flood, causing shortages of food, water, and fuel in Nederland and other mountain towns. Concerned about the threats posed by climate change and a precarious global economy, two local residents resolved to make Nederland a more resilient community. They decided to start by building local food systems.
When Victory Gardens was formed in 2015, its mission was to increase local food security by growing food on scale, developing partnerships, and providing educational services. As directors, we envisioned a grassroots effort involving the entire community. We made public presentations outlining the benefits of local food systems, hosted community meetings, and published an educational website. We proposed launching a local farmers market, reviving the dormant community garden, and building economic relationships. Since then, much of this has come to pass, thanks to the efforts of the entire community.
All the while, we grew food at the Nederland Library, the Community Center, and on private property, selling and donating our produce locally. Then, in 2018, Lyn Hanna offered her property in Nederland to be the permanent home of Victory Gardens. In 2020, with the support of grants, we donated hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to three local food banks.
What motivates us is the belief among citizens that what we do is important. People respond to delicious nutritious food, to pollinator gardens full of butterflies and hummingbirds, to the feel of rich soil in their hands. They understand the ecological and economic challenges of our time, and they want to do something about it-to get their lives in line with what they know to be real. They want to have hope for a better world, and a belief that their work has purpose and meaning.
Organization name
Victory Gardens
2015
Tax id (EIN)
47-3645892
Category
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
P.O. Box 843Boulder County, CO, US