Scottsdale Progress - 10.2

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 24, 2021

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100+ Women Who Care help community gardens

BY KIM TARNOPOLSKI Progress Guest Writer

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veryone loves fresh produce. Eating healthy and buying locally grown fruits and vegetables is something we all strive to do. We also know it can be expensive to �ill our grocery carts with these nutritious items.

There are two community gardens in Phoenix that strive to make healthy food more accessible to challenged communities.

TigerMountain Foundation operates Garden of Tomorrow, 1823 E. Broadway Road, and Spaces of Opportunity Garden, 1198 W. Vineyard Road, both Phoenix.

They are open on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 8 a.m.-noon to the community.

Since 2007, TigerMountain Foundation has empowered communities to better themselves from within. The nonpro�it’s volunteers plant fruits and veggies in community gardens, incubator farms, and other cultivated spaces of opportunity in Phoenix. They also engage in agri-landscaping initiatives and provide internships and paid incentivized participation.

Participants work alongside capable, hard-working professionals as volunteers who encourage and mentor them through every step. These programs culminate in the development of good professionals.

Participants leverage the skills and morals they have learned to build honest lives for themselves, free of criminality and desperation, and have the skills to earn a living wage.

In South Phoenix, and other challenged communities where they work, there are high rates of incarceration, poor health choices and a low-ranking education system.

TigerMountain combats these chal-

individuals get paying jobs. They take care of the gardens and learn what it means to be a valued and dependable worker.

TigerMountain CEO Darren Chapman was grateful for the donation.

“I want to sincerely thank 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun for their support of our initiatives,” he said. “TMF typically struggles to meet the expenses of our selfimposed “high bar” of social responsibility.

This donation allows us to jettison into our 15th year and go from Darren Chapman, founder of TigerMountain Foundation, thanks Hildy Saizow of 100+ Women Who Care survive to thrive mode Valley of the Sun for the group’s generosity. (Special to the Progress) as we push to a next level of environmenlenges using an “asset-based community residents about the foundation, nutrition, tal, social and ecodevelopment” approach. This means they community work and more. nomic sustainability.” don’t give a “hand out;” they give a “hand All produce is available at these mar100+ Women Who Care Valley of the up” and empower the community stake- kets on a donation-basis, ensuring equal Sun is all about coming together as a colholders. access to healthy food choices. Locations lective community to make an immediTheir multi-ethnic, inter-generational of the farmers markets are at tigermoun- ate, direct, and positive impact in giving ABCD approach means they consider tainfoundation.org/tigermountain-foun- locally. each person a reciprocal spoke in the dation-at-farmers-markets.

Membership in the chapter involves wheel of their organization’s pending During 2019, TMF mentored over attending four one-hour giving circles a success.

1,100 volunteers, participants, and their year with the sole purpose of supporting Participants learn the “TIGER” values. families meanwhile reaching thousands the wonderful work our local nonpro�it Tenacity: Aggressively change your own more through events and speaking en- organizations do by providing funding, condition. Integrity: Strive for authentic- gagements. Over 10,000 meals were pro- exposure, and awareness. ity and honesty in living one’s life. Great- vided.

The chapter has groups that meet ness: Dare to be epic and proud. Em100+ Women Who Care Valley of the quarterly in Ahwatukee, Scottsdale and powerment: Take responsibility for life Sun learned about this organization the East Valley. To learn more or regchoices and their outcomes. Resiliency: through member Hildy Saizow. The ister for one of their upcoming giving Never give up. group’s Scottsdale members donated circles, visit 100wwcvalleyofthesun.org.

Participants take their locally grown, $10,000 to support local youth, troubled The Scottsdale group will meet at 6:30 nutritious produce to farmers markets teens, and adults. p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 27; venue to be anwhere they engage and educate local TigerMountain’s programs help these nounced.