SMITHFIELD, Va., Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today, Pure Farmland^™ recognized Summit Community Gardens in Park City, Utah for its positive impact in the area with a check donation of $10,000. The contribution is part of the Pure Growth Project, an initiative launched by Pure Farmland in 2020 to ensure community gardens and farms continue to thrive and help increase access to fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables nationwide. Summit Community Gardens was selected a 2021 grant recipient to support its mission to empower the local community to gather and garden at high altitude and provide a neighborhood haven of native plants, flowers and trees.

After receiving 103 applications from community gardens and farms across 29 states, 55 organizations were carefully selected to receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000, providing a total of $125,000 in financial support to nurture these unique neighborhood spaces. In the spirit of continued growth, Pure Farmland increased its financial commitment by 25% this year in hopes of positively supporting as many green spaces as possible.

Pure Farmland joined Summit Community Gardens to celebrate the local green space's achievements and highlight the amazing impact their hard work has on the neighborhood. The event included a check presentation of $10,000 to help fund the garden's free Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which delivers fresh-grown produce directly to families in need. By creating a weekly delivery option, the garden has been able to break down barriers so neighbors with lack of transportation or busy work schedules can still have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. In an especially difficult time for families facing food insecurity, this grant will allow Summit Community Gardens to double the number of recipients receiving food baskets.

"Pure Farmland is proud to bring this opportunity to Summit Community Gardens so they can continue to uplift the community and act as a pillar of inspiration and strength," said Michael Merritt, senior director of marketing for Pure Farmland at Smithfield Foods. "Having access to fresh, healthy food shouldn't be a privilege that only some Americans have. This is a longstanding battle in many urban and rural areas across our nation where residents suffer from lack of access to crucial nutrients. Seeing the impact of the Pure Growth Project grants implemented in these amazing programs only encourages us to keep doing what we can to provide financial relief and spotlight the work of these amazing organizations."

Each season, the garden donates over 1,000 pounds of organic produce across its programs to provide food security to the community. The public Park City garden is applauded for its commitment of fostering a safe space for community members to gather, learn and grow, as well as its efforts to ensure neighbors have access to fresh-grown food during the current public health and economic crisis.

"Together with Summit Land Conservancy and Bright Futures, we identified families in our community that were experiencing food insecurity. Each week this season, our volunteers and staff harvested fresh vegetables to create baskets that we delivered to their doorstep. This program provides dependable access to nutritious produce grown within minutes of their homes," said Sloane Johnson, executive director for Summit Community Gardens. "We are so excited to be able to expand this program with the help of our community partners and Pure Farmland."

For more information, please visit puregrowthproject.com. Pure Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Pure Farmland^™
Pure Farmland^™ is a maker of high-quality, plant-based protein products, such as breakfast links and patties, burger patties, meatballs, pre-seasoned protein starters, and dinner links and serves retail customers. Pure Farmland products are proudly crafted in the USA with soy protein, coconut oil, natural flavors, are gluten and dairy free, and serve as a good source of protein. To learn more about Pure Farmland, please visit www.Pure-Farmland.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Pure Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly.^®" and have made Smithfield one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield^®, Eckrich^® and Nathan's Famous^®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Summit Community Gardens
In 2015, Summit Community Gardens, located in Park City, Utah, partnered with Summit County, The Summit Land Conservancy, and Basin Recreation to create and operate a 1.5-acre garden located in the Snyderville Basin. This space is now home to 88 community garden plots, perennial demonstration beds, vegetable demonstration beds, a beehive, a kids' garden, and a compost center. Over 130 community members rent plots to grow their own food and over 100 volunteers grow food in demonstration gardens that are used for summer camps, adult education, and food donations through a free CSA program and food stand. The garden is open to the public and hosts multiple events throughout the summer to bring the community together concerts, dinners, art exhibits, and classes. Summit Community Gardens' mission is to empower the community to gather and garden at high altitude and encourage the land to thrive as open space, as a beautiful haven of native plants, flowers, and trees.

Media Contact:
Caroline Greer
HUNTER: on behalf of Pure Farmland
(646) 459-4952
cgreer@hunterpr.com 

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.