LiveWell Garfield County awards spring mini grants

PRESS RELEASE
April 7, 2015

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – LiveWell Garfield County recently awarded $20,793 to local entities as part of its spring mini grant cycle. With the growing popularity and positive community impact of the LiveWell mini grants, the diversity in programs continues to expand. The majority of the grants are awarded to nutritional, educational, and gardening programs. In addition, this round of grants supports bike racks, local sporting teams, and local trails.

Growing Food Forward received $5,000 to cover capital expenses for gardens and countywide workshops.

Colorado Mountain College Upward Bound Program is getting $2,998 for a project that includes healthy food and snack preparation classes. The project will take place throughout a four-week summer camp held at the Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley Campus, where students will learn how to shop for healthy food by reading food labels for nutritional value, as well as how to prepare healthy meals and snacks on a budget. In addition, students will participate in weekly physical activities, and will end the program by preparing a healthy meal for LIFT-UP Extended Table. The program is targeted to teens from New Castle to Parachute.

Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers was awarded $2,500 towards the Young Stewards Initiative program that focuses on engaging youth through trail projects. Their goal is to increase participation by more youth in Garfield County, especially from New Castle, Silt and Rifle.

LiveWell Garfield County awarded LIFT-UP $2,045 for a two-door refrigeration unit at the Glenwood Springs LIFT-UP location to accommodate more fruits and vegetables from the LiveWell Gleaning Project.

The Town of New Castle received $2,000 for the purchase and installation of three bike racks throughout its downtown area to increase bicycle ridership within the community.

Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) is getting $1,500 for materials to include Gardening with Children as part of the annual Summer Reading Program. The goal of Gardening with Children is to continue the gardening programming started in Silt and expand to the other five library locations. This year, GCPLD would like add a connection to literature that will reinforce the ties between healthy food, gardening, and stories as part of the learning process. A portion of the grant funds will be used to purchase additional books on gardening and healthy eating for five of the branches. The program reaches 1,400 kids, plus their parents, annually.

Grand River Health’s (GRH) Changing Lifestyles will received funding of $1,500 to develop Healthy Eating: To-Go curriculum and to purchase materials. The materials will be used to teach at least ten healthy cooking classes in the next 12 months. At least 50 percent of the classes taught will be to low income residents and children. GRH will partner with LIFT-UP Rifle, Garfield County’s Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program, and Colorado Mountain College’s English Language Learners (ELL) program on these cooking classes. LiveWell Coalition members may use the publications to teach cooking classes across the county.

Rifle Farmers Market was granted $1,000 for signage and equipment to continue to expand this upcoming season.

Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association was awarded $1,000 for partial funding of the South Canyon Trails Plan project.

Rifle Parks and Recreation Department received $500 for equipment for the Valley Youth League baseball and softball program, serving kids aged 8-15. The Rifle City Senior Center was awarded $500 to purchase gardening materials to grow and use produce in senior meals.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the Ninth was granted $250 to the RIDE for the CHILD event on June 20, 2015. The LiveWell Garfield County Steering Committee decided to fund this mini grant application as a sponsorship, with money derived from its sponsorship program budget.

The City of Rifle Parks and Recreation department received partial funding to increase participation in the youth summer soccer program and to purchase program supplies.

LiveWell Garfield County offers two mini grant cycles per year, in the spring and fall. Between the two grant cycles, LiveWell Garfield County awards $40,000 in grants each year to programs and projects that promote healthy eating and active living.