Record Crowds Show Up for Summer Family Fundraiser at the Urban Farm

Record Crowds Show Up for Summer Family Fundraiser at the Urban Farm

- Local educator honored as Classroom Cultivator of the Year at Alfresco at the Farm -

(August 14, 2017) MORRISTOWN, NJ — It was the perfect summer day for Alfresco at the Farm, a family fundraiser presented by Grow It Green Morristown, a nonprofit focused on increasing access to fresh, local food, and providing education on healthy eating and environmental stewardship for the greater Morristown community. The Urban Farm, New Jersey’s largest public school garden managed by Grow It Green, provided a beautiful backdrop for this family event held on Saturday, August 5th that featured live music, local eats, relay races, crafts and more. The 8th annual event of its kind this year’s event surpassed previous years in fundraising and attendance as record crowds gathered to have fun, while supporting a local cause.

Attendees enjoyed hot, fresh pizza on the grill from Millie’s Old World Pizza & Meatballs with toppings provided by The Urban Farm, handcrafted desserts from The Artist Baker, ice cream from Enjou Chocolat as well as other local eats provided by Pure Pita and Pascarella Brothers. Pine Sap Kings filled the farm with bluegrass tunes as attendees participated in a game of corn hole, face painting, relay races, rock painting, educational farm stations and flower crown making. Attendees also enjoyed learning about different areas of farming as part of the “Passport Around the Farm” and had a chance to win great prizes donated by local businesses. And to top it all off, one lucky guest walked away with cash winnings from the ever-popular 50/50 raffle.

This year’s festival honored local teacher, Dorelly Lozaw of Hillcrest Elementary School, as Classroom Cultivator of the Year. Farmer Shaun, Director of Agriculture and Education, presented the award to Lozaw who was chosen because of her enthusiasm in introducing school gardening programs to students. “It is great when you have educators who are passionate about healthy eating, gardening and the environment. That passion shines through to the students and helps reinforce what we teach at the Urban Farm,” said Ananko.

The Urban Farm hosted over 1,600 student visits for Morris School District students and other districts this spring. When the school year starts up again in a few weeks, the Urban Farm is aiming to host an additional 1,000 student visits this fall. In addition to providing farm-based education, Grow It Green donates much of the produce that is grown at the Urban Farm. So far this spring, the organization has donated over 1,000 pounds of produce to the Interfaith Food Pantry, the Community Soup Kitchen of Morris County, and the Table of Hope.

With such a successful Alfresco at the Farm, Grow It Green is on track to grow and donate even more food to the community. And that is something worth celebrating.

Key sponsorship of Alfresco at the Farm was provided by Kings Food Markets, The Red Oaks School, Millie’s Old World Pizza & Meatballs, The Artist Baker, My Training Gym and Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP.

ABOUT GROW IT GREEN MORRISTOWN

Grow It Green Morristown is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to create sustainable farms and gardens that provide equal access to fresh, local food and educate communities through programs focused on healthy eating and environmental stewardship. Major sponsorship for Grow It Green Morristown is provided by Kings Food Markets. For more information, visit www.growitgreenmorristown.org.

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For further press information, please contact:

Linda Chang/GROW IT GREEN MORRISTOWN

(973) 206-4177 / linda@growitgreenmorristown.org