DietsInReview.com Chosen by Kalso Earth Shoes to Receive a $1000 Earth Day Grant

Earlier this month we learned that Kalso Earth Shoes was giving three $1,000 grants to three sites who aligned with their vision but ultimately who could do a whole heck of a lot of good with that money to celebrate Earth Day. The deadline was on a Thursday, we got wind of the promotion on a Tuesday. I was out sick, like at home, in bed, sick. But, I knew I wanted this for DietsInReview.com and I also knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. So I sucked it up, and against the wishes of my beloved caretaker, knocked out an article telling Kalso about DIR, about how thinking green is second nature to us, and how there was an organization that we really, really wanted to help with this money.

Working through a sick day paid off, because DietsInReview.com was chosen! This month, we’re receiving a $1,000 grant to do an Earth Day project. Just as we described in our Earth Day project application, we’ll be using the funds to build vegetable gardens at Carpenter Place, and we’re more or less stoked about it! We’re not alone, though. We already let Carpenter Place in on our little secret.

“We are so excited to have DietsInReview come help us with gardens for our campus!” Jennifer White, a Carpenter Place house mom, told us.

Located in Wichita, KS, along with our editorial team, Carpenter Place serves troubled young women in our community. This non-profit rehabilitation home serves girls and women aged 6-21 by giving them a safe place to live, and for the older girls they have their own apartments, pursue GEDs, get their first jobs, and even learn to drive.

Carpenter Place is also responsible for keeping food on the table for the more than two dozen residents they can house, which means stretching their limited budget very far.

“We are very fortunate to have generous donors who help with food items for our pantry,” said Jennifer. “Unfortunately, most of what we get are non-perishable foods which of course are loaded with preservatives. The opportunity to have fresh fruits and veggies for our girls is wonderful. The garden will provide not only great nutrition but also valuable life skills our girls can take with them.”

During the month of April, we’ll keep you posted on all of our development plans, as far as pricing for and shopping for all of the materials we’ll need to hopefully plant two raised bed vegetable gardens. If our budget allows, we’ll plant three gardens and even set them up for composting so that the veggies and herbs they’re growing can help nurture the garden for a long time to come.

Our goal is to do the build on April 22, which is Earth Day. We hope you’ll join us that day by doing something good for the Earth. Make a donation to a water conservation project, plant your own backyard or container garden, get set up to start recycling, or simply walk instead of driving that day. Or, look for a project like ours in your community and volunteer to lend a hand. The options are pretty endless!

We’re currently recruiting volunteers to help with our build at Carpenter Place. In fact, a local Girl Scout troop has already shown interest, as have all of the residents at Carpenter Place, and the families and friends of DIR.

Watch our Facebook, Twitter, and here at the blog for the latest updates as we celebrate Earth Day with Carpenter Place and Kalso Earth Shoes (find them on Twitter).