Just eight blocks from Sprouts Store #850 in Philadelphia sits the Concert Garden, a historic gathering space for community members of Point Breeze neighborhood. For more than thirty years, the Concert Garden provided outdoor recreation, natural beauty, and a venue for musical performances, before it started deteriorating and eventually became unusable.
Throughout metro-Philly, there are a total of 400 community gardens where neighbors can grow produce together and connect in nature. Despite the benefits that gardens provide, many are at-risk of being of being lost to developers. The nonprofit, Neighborhood Gardens Trust, works to protect the land and keep it accessible for all.
When Sprouts opened its first Philadelphia store in 2018, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation connected with Neighborhood Gardens Trust on its special project to revitalize the Concert Garden.
Through a $32,000 donation, Sprouts is supporting the Concert Garden project through enhancements like:
- Solar-powered lighting for the stage and sidewalk
- Replacement of old paving to help with stormwater drainage
- Construction of a new stage
- New play features for children
- New benches and tables
- Repairs to planting beds
- Installation of a storage shed
The volunteer group, Friends of the Concert Garden, maintains the space and plans activities throughout the year including movie nights, book readings, gardening workshops, and, of course, concerts. They’ll be incorporating nutrition and cooking classes, as well, teaching families how to cook healthy meals at home.
On June 12, Neighborhood Gardens Trust and the Friends of the Concert Garden hosted a ribbon cutting, celebrating the completion of the first phase of the project. Attendees saw the new walkway, seating structures, and gardens throughout the space. Sprouts’ SVP of Store Operations, Dan Croce, and Store Manager at Sprouts #850, Steve Carney, along with local team members, attended the event and thanked the crowd for their support of the gardens and of Sprouts over the past year. Attendees also celebrated the ability to gather again and to plan other community events at the garden soon.
Sprouts’ donation will continue to support the renovations at the Concert Garden, including the buildout of the stage, tool shed, and lighting, as well as two years of events and activities. Through its other grant awards, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation has contributed an additional $33,000 to Neighborhood Gardens Trust since 2018, bringing support to their work of protecting green spaces across the city.
