B.U.G.S. Program
Building Urban Garden Stewards
B.U.G.S. is an urban garden initative made possible by the colaboration between the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, Hamilton County Master Gardeners, UT Extension, Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga and Chattanooga Area Landscape Professionals.
Through a series of new and innovative garden initiatives: Backyard Gardens, Enabling Gardens & Teaching Gardens, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank will begin enabling those in need of food assistance to provide for themselves. These programs use proven, practical, long-term solutions to food insecurity in our community by providing the tools and knowledge necessary for those in need to grow their own food.
Evelyn Davenport Navarre Teaching Gardens
This facility consists of an open air pavilion, greenhouse & enabling gardens, where staff & volunteers will conduct classes, start seedlings for backyard gardens & grow food for the needy in our community.
Vegetable gardening, cooking & preserving, good environmental stewardship, best gardening practices, and nutrition classes will all be taught at this facility. Teaching Gardens offer hands-on learning opportunities for children and adults alike.
Evelyn Davenport Navarre Enabling Gardens
The aim of the enabling garden is to provide a fully accessible garden experience for all populations in our community. It is designed to engage body, minds & spirit; a place to visit and enjoy, work & learn, and relax & heal.
Many of the food insecure in our community are also dealing with some kind of physical or mental disability. The Enabling Garden Program offers opportunities for those dealing with disabilities in our community to get beyond the structural hurtles of gardening, so they too can enjoy all the health & therapeutic benefits of the garden.
Backyard Gardens
A Backyard Garden can bring hope and a sense of pride to a family in need. It brings fresh fruits & vegetables to the kitchen table and a feeling of self-sufficiency that comes from growing one’s own food. The Backyard Garden Program provides families in need with seedlings, raised beds, rich soil and knowledgeable mentors.
For a donation of $300.00, you can give a full backyard garden to a family in need in our community. Gardens can also be given in honor or memory of a loved one. Backyard gardens can produce $650.00 worth of fresh, wholesome produce in a growing season.
