Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture

A nonprofit organization

18% complete

$10,000 Goal

Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture is 501c3 nonprofit organization in Columbia Missouri. We envision a community transformed by good food for all and the skills to grow it. Our mission is to enhance our community’s health by connecting people to agriculture and the land through hands-on learning opportunities from seed to plate. We work in our community with a variety of programs and partnerships connecting people to agriculture.  Our programs serve Columbia Public School children, Veterans at the Truman VA Hospital, low income families, and clients who use local food pantries. CCUA delivers fresh produce to the pantries throughout the growing season and provides hands-on educational opportunities at gardens, outdoor classrooms at local schools, and backyards throughout Columbia.

 Money raised through this challenge will support our community outreach efforts and educational programs.


We need you to help us educate and feed our community.

Your donation will:

  • Educate and inspire hundreds of children in our Farm to School program,  by supporting costs for our virtual field trip and science lesson about compost. 
  • Feed the community high quality, local  produce grown at Columbia’s Agriculture Park through our Planting for the Pantry program.
  • Provide gardens, educate, and mentor Opportunity Garden families for three years at no-cost.
  •  Teach the community the skills to grow and cook their own food through our virtual gardening and cooking workshops.
  • Inspire garden volunteers to learn about urban agriculture while giving back to the community. 
  • Provide paid job training for Veterans at the VA Hospital, including mentoring and garden therapy at the Veterans Urban Farm.                                               
An Opportunity Gardens family shows off their raised bed garden was was installed at no cost.

 



Veterans at our Veterans Urban Farm program receive paid job training and mentorship on the farm.

 

 

 Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture donates everything grown at Columbia's Agriculture Park to hunger relief outlets through our Planting for the Pantry program. We believe that all people deserve access to good, healthy, nutrient-dense foods, as well as hands-on educational opportunities to become empowered to grow their own food. CCUA's Planting for the Pantry program has grown over the years, and currently donates around 20,000 pounds of produce a year. Each year our sponsorship goal increases as we aim to donate more food to hunger relief outlets. As we expand our operations, we aim to grow 50,000 pounds of fresh food each year for families in need.

 CCUA delivers fresh produce to the pantries throughout the growing season and provides hands-on educational opportunities at the gardens, outdoor classrooms at local schools, and backyards throughout Columbia.

Students working together on a compost lesson as part of the Farm to School Program in 2019.

CCUA brings a fresh approach to hunger relief and invests in our community by growing and donating nutrient-dense, fresh food for people in need throughout our community. Additionally,  our hands-on educational efforts build the capacity of the community to better engage in urban agriculture and add fresh fruits and vegetables to dinner tables.


Volunteers harvest collard greens for one of the three weekly donations through Planting for the Pantry. This donation includes radishes, swiss chard, collard greens, and kohlrabi. 

 



Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture

Tax id (EIN)

26-4486257

Categories

Education Environment Health

Address

PO BOX 1742
COLUMBIA, MO 65205