Plans For 'Grow Burnsville' Initiative Move Forward

BURNSVILLE, MN— Plans for the “Grow Burnsville” initiative have begun to move forward after the City Council was notified of being awarded a $125,000 grant on March 9, City Council member Cara Schulz said.

Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz applied for the grant, called the United States Conference of Mayors Childhood Obesity Prevention, Environmental Health and Sustainability Award, Schulz said.

Schulz also said that staff member Susan Bast championed the application for the funding.

The initiative is split into two sections: the food forest and the market garden, Schulz said.

Both the food forest and the market garden would grow fruits and vegetables that Burnsville residents can eat for free, Schulz said.

Schulz told Patch that “Grow Burnsville” was the first thing she introduced to the city council after being elected five years ago.

She said that her reasoning was using the money that the city is already spending on ornamental trees and bushes, and using the money for trees and bushes that could provide food for residents.

“There's a couple of reasons why I wanted to do that,” Schulz said. “If the city is already spending funds and time and resources, why not do so in something that our residents could use and could use sustainably for years?”

Schulz also said that the initiative could help those experiencing homelessness, as well as low-income families, both groups which can find it difficult to find access to fresh foods.

Schulz said that the initiative will help to change the relationship between residents and their government into a partnership.

Schulz said that she believes she brought the idea to city council too early when she introduced it five years ago which is why it wasn’t immediately adopted, but that staff members liked the idea and continued to work toward it.

The market gardens will be used for educational purposes and internships, Schulz said.

“Our youth and other people can learn how to grow food, not just from a gardening point of view, or even just for themselves, but also in a way to learn how to market it,” Schulz said.

Schulz told Patch that there will also be community events as part of the initiative, such as “Party in the Garden," which will feature chefs teaching classes on nutrition and healthy cooking while using food from the garden.

City council staff members are currently looking into locations for both the garden and the forest, Schulz said.

“We are looking at locating the plot this year, and we are hoping to start getting things planted later this year,” Schulz said.

Every year, the city of Burnsville creates a sustainability plan, and the initiative would help sustainability as well as help vulnerable populations get access to food, Schulz said.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimated that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans would not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.