A US$750 grant from the Florida Kiwanis Foundation to the Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers Metro-McGregor will be used for updates to the Pine Manor Improvement Association Community Garden.  

The club will improve 23 wood garden boxes with raised garden beds supported by concrete blocks. The new garden beds will be ADA-accessible, and the club will cover additional project costs.  

The Pine Manor Improvement Association Community Garden serves about 3,000 low-income and at-risk individuals in Fort Myers, with the goal of providing free food that’s fresh and healthy. In fact, the garden has grown two tons of fresh food in the past two years alone.

The food from the garden is also used in the Pine Manor Improvement Association's culinary arts training program. The program’s low-cost training helps people make healthy meals and prepares them to enter the workplace. More than 100 students have graduated from the program since 2014.

“This garden and the programs they provide are an avenue for Pine Manor residents to improve their lives and those of their children with healthy food inside their homes, as well as training for jobs outside the home,” said club President Cathy Smith. “We are so happy to be awarded this grant and are looking forward to installation day at the end of October.”

The Fort Myers Metro-McGregor Kiwanis Club meets every Tuesday.