Garden Pool (GP), an international NGO, celebrated the grand opening of the Garden Pool storefront and Farmer's Corner on July 30 in the El Rancho Del Sol complex, 659 E. Main St.-- a first-of-its-kind market which provides materials for local patrons to build and maintain their own at-home gardens. Along with this, GP's storefront allows for a space to provide farm-fresh food to low-income families at a reasonable price.
Though food deserts are commonly thought to be located in rural areas, low-income urban spaces are impacted at a greater scale. According to the United States Department of Agriculture study, 14% of Arizonans reside in a low-income, low-access area. The storefront opening provides the means for families to provide their own food security while delivering farm-fresh and vitamin-rich options for Mesa residents.
"At Garden Pool, we value food security and sustainability. By opening the Garden Pool store, we strive to serve the community by bridging the gap between farms and low-income urban areas" said Dennis McClung, founder and chief executive officer of Garden Pool.
The storefront opening also marks the beginning of Garden Pool's partnership with Microsoft. Within this partnership, Garden Pool works with the University of Arizona to develop apps for Microsoft's latest technology to continue global agriculture development in the modern age. As grassroots movement turned international NGO, Garden Pool looks forward to their work with Microsoft.
Contact: Hayley Veal, Marketing Manager, (480) 532-5821 Ext. 102, hayley.gardenpool@gmail.com
Links:
More information on Garden Pool: https://gardenpool.org
More information on Garden Pool's Grand Opening:
Garden Pool Team Photos and Titles: https://gardenpool.org/team
USDA Food Desert Atlas: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas/