Once totally funded by USDA, the Program now depends on a combination of government, corporate, foundation and individual support to fulfill our mission. With Block Grant funding administered through the Division of Neighborhood Services, Summer Sprout has helped low-income residents to turn vacant land into productive gardens since 1976. Summer Sprout and Cultivating Our Community work together since the programs complement one another so well. Summer Sprout provides the basic materials for gardening and Cultivating Our Community provides the technical advice. 2328 gardeners and their families benefitted from their neighborhood leadership.
Gardening is a low-tech activity.
In terms of today's high-tech world, Summer Sprout is the hardware, Extension is the software. Funding for Summer Sprout provided plowing services and purchases vegetable seeds, tomato, pepper, collard and cabbage plants, fertilizer and leaf humus. City of Cleveland Water Department issues fire hydrant permits to registered sites. Extension loans hydrant equipment and garden hose adapters to groups that have purchased permits. This unique partnership of Extension and City Government provides education and basic gardening supplies that enables the participants to leverage their own resources of imagination, creativity, perseverance and patience to establish urban oases.