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Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Gateway Greening is Now Seed St. Louis
network of over 250+ community gardens, school gardens, and urban orchards, through which they believe that by educating and empowering individuals through urban agriculture, they can help connect people to the land, to their food, and to each other. In addition to the name change, Seed St. Louis has a new have a new strategic plan, and updated mission, vision, and purpose statements they say better define the organization’s work.
Gateway Greening announced last fall that several big changes have come to the organization, including a name change to Seed St. Louis, and a move of their headquarters. The organization was founded in 1984 as Gateway to Gardeners Association by a group of dedicated volunteers who wished to see vacant lots in St. Louis City turned into productive and beautiful spaces. From there it grew as community gardens and school gardens multiplied and spread throughout the region. In 1998, the name and logo changed to Gateway Greening to reflect the growth of the organization and an expansion of its mission to include urban orchards and a land trust for future preservation. Now in 2021, the new name once again serves to clarify “our role in the community” says CEO Matt Schindler. “We wish to provide that seed for individuals to grow their own food. I am proud of our history supporting sustainable communityled gardens and orchards, and look forward to Seed St. Louis reaching more people and more communities throughout our region.” As Seed St. Louis, the group looks forward to the future as it continues to support a growing 20
They are also moving offices and operations to a new location at the Delmar Divine. There, they plan to build a new demonstration garden, create unique educational opportunities, and expand operational facilities. The previous Bell Garden Demonstration Garden will be taken over by Belle Community Garden, which is part of the Seed St. Louis network, and has shared the agricultural space with Gateway Greening, now Seed St. Louis, for over 35 years.
Conservation Award Presented The Deer Creek Watershed A l l i a n c e announced last fall that Rick and Lotsie Holton, longtime Missouri B o t a n i c a l G a r d e n supporters and friends, were recently Lotsie and Rick Holton presented with the Missouri Legacy Conservation Award for their exemplary lifelong leadership, philanthropy, commitment, and service to the conservation cause in Missouri. This special award was given to them at the 6th Annual National Lewis & Clark Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation Awards Banquet at the Millbottom in Jefferson City. The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2022
