Katie's Krops....Growing a dream!
The idea for Katie’s Krops began with a 9 year old girl and a 40 pound cabbage. In 2008 Katie brought home a tiny cabbage seedling home from school as part of the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program. She tended to her cabbage and cared for it until it grew to an amazing 40 pounds. Knowing her cabbage was special she donated to a soup kitchen where it helped to feed over 275 people. Moved by the experience of seeing how many people could benefit from the donation of fresh produce to soup kitchens, Katie decided to start vegetable gardens and donate the harvest to help feed people in need.
Katie's Krops now has over 60 youth run gardens growing, from Maine to Hawaii, and has donated tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce to organizations that help people in need. The mission of Katie's Krops is to start and maintain vegetable gardens of all sizes and donate the harvest to help feed people in need, as well as to assist and inspire others to do the same. The problem of hunger is real, Katie's Krops mission is simple, we all can help because...
It only takes a seedling!
We are thrilled to announce our very first Katie's Krops Camp. This July fourteen Katie's Krops Grantees will attend an all expenses paid 3 days camp in Pelion, South Carolina. This immersive experience will not only reward our grantees but will also teach them new growing practices, budgeting, how to photograph their gardens and so many other tools which will increase their productivity as well as the impact that they are having in their communities. The camp will also feature a Katie's Krops Dinner where the campers will prepare a meal for families in need in Columbia, South Carolina. The camp will give our grantees the opportunity to get to know their peers, meet and work with the Founder of Katie's Krops as well as meet a few surprise special guests.
The camp to be held July 16-18, 2013, at the headquarters of WP Rawl a sponsor of Katie's Krops. Giving back to the community is important to the family-owned WP Rawl, and a partnership with Katie’s Krops was a perfect match. As such, for every bag of specially marked Nature’s Greens Kale and Collard Greens sold from October 2012 – January 2013, WP Rawl gave a percentage of sales to Katie’s Krops and provided funding for 15 grants in 2013, along with funding the camp.
“The first time I watched Katie speak, I knew I wanted to help her cause,” said Ashley Rawl, Director of Sales & Marketing for WP Rawl. “I started thinking of ways where we could help her empower other kids to do the same thing she is already doing. Katie’s Camp was born on that day and I am so pleased that we will be able to make it come to life.”
We at Katie's Krops are so proud of all of our young growers across the country. To bring our grantees together is dream come true. We are excited to learn from them and further empower them to grow a healthy end to hunger in their communities.
The camp will be open to all current and new Katie's Krops Grantees. Our current grant cycle, which is open to kids 9 to 16 and is sponsored by WP Rawl and Opal Apple is open until March 1st (please see the grant section of our website for an application). All new grantees that are selected during the current grant cycle will be eligible to apply to attend the camp.
Here is a sneak peek at our Katie's Krops Camp Garden growing at W. P. Rawl Farm...