Description

We invite you to come and meet Team GIF at our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House at 1501 Marshall Street on January 17^th, 2019, at 4:00PM. Come for the great conversations and tours of the shared-use commercial kitchen facility. You’ll also be able to enjoy some of the products produced by GIF’s commercial kitchen renters and community partners, such as a special craft brew from Sabbatical Brewing Co., eggrolls from Vue’s Family Food Stand, and Bearcatts, LLC’s pickled asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms, available on the Bloody Mary minibar. See you there!
 
About Grow it Forward

Amber Daugs founded Grow It Forward (GIF) Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in November of 2014. The organization’s vision is to be recognized as Manitowoc County’s leader in increasing and sustaining the availability of locally produced food. In short, Grow It Forward is on a mission to grow, teach, feed, and connect our local food community. The full scope of what they’re striving to achieve can be found at www.grow-it-forward.com

As a result of its programs and services, GIF aims to create a healthier community with long lasting economic and ecological benefits, reducing gaps in the local food supply chain, and assisting in the growth of job creation by way of helping new local food businesses to become operational.
 
GROW, FEED, TEACH, CONNECT. These are the Four Pillars of Grow It Forward. Allow us to flesh these Pillars out some:
 

• Grow It Forward provides healthier, more affordable food for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. They do this by offering guidance and support to those growing produce in our community—schools, public or private gardens, and practitioners of urban agriculture. Operations under GIF’s GROW mission pillar include the following: the South 14th Street Community Garden, Manitowoc Community Garden, the Giving Garden at First Presbyterian Church’s Community Dinners Meal Site, EBT FoodShare at the Farmers Market, Double Bucks Match program at the Farmers Market, and Grow It Forward’s Indoor Tower Garden.
   

·They help to feed our local economy via local food system improvements and expansion of opportunities that provide affordable pathways for local food entrepreneurs to bring their produce, products, or culinary creations to our community. Operations under GIF’s FEED mission pillar includes the following: a rentable Shared-use Commercial Kitchen that also provides business incubation and local food business consulting services.
 

·Grow It Forward teaches, inspires, and increases the number of local food producers & growers, distributors, processors, culinary artists, end-product markets, and local food consumers. Operations under GIF’s TEACH mission pillar includes the following: Farm-to-School Youth Education, Community Education, and the Power of Produce Club.
 

·Grow It Forward connects consumers to the finest local producers, distributors, processors, culinary artists, and end-product markets. Operations under GIF’s CONNECT mission pillar includes the following: the Manitowoc Farmers Market, Night Market 920, and the Grow It Forward Winter Market.