annual report

ANNUAL REPORT
our mission
Apple Seeds’ mission is to inspire healthy living through garden-based education.
Teaching students in the garden inspires them to try new and healthy food. When young students have a
hand in growing and preparing their own food, they eat it!
CHANGING BEHAVIORS – 57% of the students
INCREASING WILLINGNESS TO TRY – 92% of our Farm
who sampled the healthy snack at the school
garden markets replicated it at home.
Lab students tried the healthy snack provided.
our vision
Apple Seeds envisions a world where every young student has access to, consumes and enjoys local,
healthy food. We envision that every school in Northwest Arkansas has a garden. Our students are
the garden leaders and they share their excitement about healthy food with their peers, families and
community. We hold this vision in our minds everyday, knowing that with each student we impact, we
bring ourselves one step closer to realizing this vision.
1
2016
Development of the Apple Seeds
Office, Teaching Farm and Teaching
Kitchen at Gulley Park. Preparation
for bountiful harvests in 2017
2015
Partnership with the City of
Fayetteville to expand the
Teaching Farm to Gulley Park
2014
Breaking ground on
the Teaching Farm next
to Ozark Natural Foods
2013
Partnership with the Fayetteville
Public School District on Farm to
School program
2007
Officially a 501c(3)
2005
Ozark Natural Foods starts
Apples in the Classroom
our growth
Thanks to our incredible community’s conviction to launch Apple Seeds nearly 10 years ago and support
us throughout the years, we are now stronger, more sustainable and more capable of serving the needs of
our region’s students.
2
our team
Team Apple Seeds is comprised of a dedicated staff that develops and runs the educational programs
on the Teaching Farm and in the schools.
MARY THOMPSON | Co-Executive Director
BRETT WILLIAMS | Farm Lab Coordinator /
Arkansas GardenCorps
KYRA RAMSEY | Co-Executive Director
JOSH SIMMONS | Farm to Table Coordinator /
Arkansas GardenCorps
DESTINY SCHLINKER | Program Manager
CALE NICHOLSON | Farm Manager
JACKSON WELLS | School Garden Coordinator /
AmeriCorps VISTA
RYAN DUNN | Farm Assistant / Arkansas
GardenCorps
JENNI VAUGHAN | School Garden Market
Coordinator / AmeriCorps VISTA
addressing a need
Our state faces obesity and hunger at epidemic rates.
•
Arkansas is ranked number one in the nation for obesity1.
•
20% of Arkansas’ youth is obese, and that number has more than doubled in the last 30 years.
•
49% of Arkansas adolescents report consuming fruits/vegetables less than one time a day2.
•
1 out of 4 children in NWA live in poverty. Children in food insecure families are especially
vulnerable to obesity due to the risk factors associated with poverty.
Poor nutrition places our students at a severe disadvantage and studies show that this can negatively
affect their health, cognitive development, and school performance. Hunger should be eliminated with
foods that promote healthy bodies and minds. Our students not only need access to affordable fresh
fruits and vegetables, they also need to be willing to try new vegetables. There is strong evidence that
gardens increase participating children’s vegetable consumption and willingness to try new vegetables3.
The students who plant seeds, harvest produce, and cook their own food are the ones who choose to
eat it. Our programs provide students with those opportunities and are changing how they think about
food.
1. Robert Johnson Woods Foundation, 2015
2. CDC-State indicator report on fruits and vegetables, 2013
3. Langellotto 2012, Scherr 2013, Ratcliffe 2011
3
PROGRAMS WITH IMPACT
Apple Seeds has been serving Northwest Arkansas for nearly ten years—developing programs that
educate and excite young students about healthy food while increasing access to those healthy foods. In
2015, Apple Seeds reached more than 5,000 students thanks in large part to our partners.
Our programs—whether they’re onsite at the Teaching Farm or at area schools—are hands-on, fun,
academically rich, and inspire our young students to make healthy food choices.
ON THE TEACHING FARM
FARM LAB
Supported by Tyson Foods and
Clif Bar Family Foundation
776 students participated in
Farm Lab is a curriculum-based field trip that connects
our students with where their food comes from. Farm
Lab provides students with an opportunity to explore,
investigate, and learn through real-world problems in an
outdoor classroom. Grade-specific school standards are
woven into an interactive investigation of gardens, life,
and food systems. The interactive field experience ends
with a harvest and garden snack that teaches valuable
concepts in nutrition and health. In 2015, we completed
our first year of piloting this program with amazing
results.
Farm Lab
FARM TO TABLE
Supported in part by Christ Community Church
“Can we eat here everyday?” That’s what we hear from
the students that participate in our unique cooking
program. Farm to Table builds enthusiasm around fresh
fruits and vegetables and empowers students with the
skills and the desire to prepare healthy food. Hosted
in our garden kitchen, students are responsible for
the meal – they read recipes, harvest the ingredients,
prepare recipes at cooking stations, set the table,
and then sit down together in the garden to eat. This
experience shows the students how to make healthy
eating a fun adventure.
4
IN THE SCHOOLS
Our school garden program is integral to the Apple Seeds mission. The gardens are outdoor classrooms
designed for children to discover, observe and learn through hands-on activities.
School Garden Workshops
Supported by Walmart Foundation
34 teachers from 20 schools
Our school garden workshops are designed
for elementary and middle school teachers
and garden leaders. Taught by Apple Seeds
staff and community experts, these workshops
give teachers and garden leaders the skills,
confidence, know-how and resources to help
their school gardens flourish!
2,683 students recieved
nutrition education
School Garden Markets
Supported by Walmart Foundation
3,137 students and community
Markets are an opportunity for students to
apply their entrepreneurial skills and share their
enthusiasm for fresh produce with their peers
and community. The students run the markets,
promote the market to their peers and families,
and create an access point in their community
for fresh, affordable food. Additionally, they get
to test their math skills with the calculations of
money exchanged and decide how to use their
profits to improve their school gardens.
members reached
5
the difference we made
With each new student we reach and with each new teacher we engage, we’re planting the seeds of
health in Northwest Arkansas. And, those seeds will grow and spread across this region.
5,338
Students reached
2,133
Pounds of vegetables
shared with students
26
Student-led garden
markets
“I finally feel
as if we are
really working
towards
educating the
whole child.”
— BRITTANY BERRY
85%
of students
sampled a healthy
snack at a garden
market
50%
increase in positive
attitude towards fruits
and vegetables
Helen Tyson Middle School,
Springdale School District
34
Teachers trained
92%
776
Farm Lab students
6
of Farm Lab students
tried the healthy snack
our partners
Apple Seeds is grateful for our community’s support—evidence of a shared vision for encouraging
healthy eating through hands-on garden education.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our working board has a passion for Apple Seeds’ mission and is instrumental in promoting awareness.
Travis Brooks
Carolyn Dux
Deborah Keazer
Reed Luhtanen
Anna Clark
Coy Evans
Emily Collins Kell
Mandy Warren
THE ORCHARD
Our gratitude goes to a dedicated group of individuals and businesses that pledged $1,000
towards the expansion of the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm at Gulley Park. Without their support, the
community’s vision of a sustainable Teaching Farm that can serve the region would not have
been possible.
Tony and Phyllis Black
Bob and Marilyn Bogle
Bordinos
Dennis and Linda Collins
Mike Cook
Cindi Cope
Cordial
Bill and Christena Devlin
Bill Elder and Karan
Freeman
Wade and Jennifer Esty
Orville and Susan Hall
David and Susan Hantz
Generations Health and
Wellness Center
The Luhtanen Family
Quin and Mary Thompson
David and Anne Lyons
Rebecca Thompson
Mike and Ashlea Milburn
Denny and Mandy Warren
Geoffrey and Leslie
Oelsner
Gary and Shea Weidner
Coy and Molly Puryear
Pringle and Kathie Ramsey
Melody Keazer
Rolf and Ceri Wilkin
Todd Yeslow and Jackie
Telfair
The Ramsey Family
Greg and Hannah Lee
Kathy Thompson
FUNDING PARTNERS
Thanks to generous grants and donations from national and state agencies, foundations, and leading
businesses, Apple Seeds made a significant impact in 2015.
Arkansas GardenCorps
Church & Dwight
Harps Food Store
Neal Hefner Construction
AmeriCorps VISTA
Clif Bar
Hogs Head Tours
Ozark Beer Co.
Arkansas Hunger Relief
Clif Bar Family Foundation
Karas Urgent Care
Ozark Natural Foods
Boulder Brands
Fayetteville Land
Company
Kutack Rock
Richter Solar Energy
Landscape Creations
Tyson Foods
Modus
Walmart Foundation
Champions for Kids
Christ Community Church
Foam Fest
Fossil Cove
7
EVENT PARTNERS
Our annual fundraisers would not have been possible without the generosity of many. Thanks to our event
partners, we raised $8,500 at our inaugural summer picnic and more than $20,800 at our farm dinner.
Adventure Subaru
Greenhouse Grille
Arkansas Food & Farm
Edible Ozarkansas
Arsaga’s
Eleven
Black Apple Crossing
Fly-N-Hog
Bordinos
Fossil Cove
Breast Treatment
Associates
Four Corners
CitiScapes
Grass Roots Farmers’
Cooperative
John Bain D.D.S. Natural
Family Dentistry
Karas Urgent Care
KUAF
Liquor World
Mosaic
Ozark Beer Co.
Gary Weidner
Ozark Natural Foods
Herb & Elk
Ph Alchemy
Roots Lawn and
Landscape
Specialized Real Estate
Group
Stitt Energy Systems
Target Direct
Zuppa Zuppa Soup
Kitchen
COMMUNITY & EDUCATION PARTNERS
It is through our partnerships with like-minded organizations that Apple Seeds has been able to reach
more than 5,000 students in 2015.
City of Fayetteville
Matt and Frankie Cheadle
City of Fayetteville, Parks and Recreation
Springdale Public School District
Fayetteville Public School District
EAST
Fayetteville Public Library
The Donald W. Reynolds Boys and Girls Club
Fayetteville Farmers Market
8
How It Works
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Apple Seeds begins and ends with its people. The funds we
raise are invested into our programs to reach more students.
Total Income: $195,897
Total Expenses: $166,152
1% Fundraising
47%
Community
Giving
3% Admin/
Overhead
35%
Grants
68%
Programs
27%
Facility*
2% Programs
16% Special Events
1% Marketing
*Facility expenses related to the purchase of a property for the
Apple Seeds office.
9
VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHTS
Our volunteers spent nearly 3,000 hours contributing
to Apple Seeds’ mission and getting their hands
dirty in 2015. More than 300 volunteers—adults, high
school students, church members, and new neighbors
came together to help Apple Seeds. They maintained
our school gardens, assisted at Farm Lab, built a
mobile kitchen, painted garden signs, designed
beautiful brochures and signs that tell our story, and
helped raise funds.
ADDRESS
2648 Old Wire Road
Fayetteville AR 72703
EMAIL
[email protected]
Report designed by Hannah Bailey
Photographs by Nikki Toth, Meredith Mashburn and Marty Shutter