Welcome to Anna's Garden Community Project

· Food production — Community gardens enable people to grow high quality fruits and vegetables for themselves, their families and their communities. 

· Nutrition— Some research indicates that community gardeners eat more fruits and vegetables than nongardening families. 

· Exercise— Gardening requires physical activity and helps improve the overall physical health of gardeners. 

· Mental health — Interacting with plants and nature helps reduce stress and increase gardeners’ sense of wellness and belonging. 

· Community— Community gardens foster a sense of community identity and stewardship among gardeners. They provide a place for people of diverse backgrounds to interact and share cultural traditions. 

· Environment — Gardens help reduce the heat island effect in cities, increase biodiversity, reduce runoff from rain, recycle local organic materials and reduce fossil fuel use from long-distance food transport. 

· Learning— People of all ages can acquire and share skills and knowledge related to gardening, cooking, nutrition, health, culture, etc. 

· Youth— Community gardens provide a place for youth to explore gardening, nature and community. 

· Income— Produce grown at community gardens may be sold or used to offset food purchases from the grocery store. 

· Crime prevention — Community gardens can help reduce crime. 

· Property values — Some research indicates that property values around community gardens increase faster than property values in similar areas without gardens. Above all, community gardening can provide a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment for all involved.