Birmingham residents have until May 4 to apply for a grant to help create a community garden
BIRMINGHAM, AL – For the third year, the City of Birmingham will offer the Love Your Block grant program to help residents revitalize their neighborhoods.
Love Your Block is a neighborhood revitalization initiative where neighborhoods are selected based on application standards that identify a community’s need. Such needs can be addressed through volunteer service projects, which have a goal of creating neighborhood pride and volunteerism. Through Love Your Block, city leaders engage citizen volunteers to revitalize city neighborhoods, one block at a time.
In the past, Birmingham residents and volunteers have used Love Your Block mini grants to conduct community clean-ups, revitalize city facilities, beautify neighborhood signs and install neighborhood street banners. This year’s focus will be on creating and maintaining community gardens in five food desert tracts across the city. Residents in the city’s 99 neighborhoods may apply.
The grant application process is currently open and will close on Friday, May 4. Five grants, each worth up to $3,000, will be issued. Funding is provided through Cities of Service, a national nonprofit organization that supports mayors and city chief executives to engage residents to tackle issues and solve problems together using “impact volunteering.”
A selection committee from the City of Birmingham will review the applications and select the winners. The winners have until June 30 to use the funding to create a garden.
“I’m proud to see the Love Your Block program continue, as it will allow residents to identify the needs in their community and address them through volunteer service projects that will yield fruits and vegetables,’’ said Mayor Randall Woodfin. “This is another example of how the City of Birmingham is engaged to help residents and communities.’’
Applications are available on the second floor of Birmingham City Hall, Room 203.
For information, please call 297-8143 or send emails to Tyler.Pearson@birminghamal.gov
