On August 14, 2019, Billings Parks, Recreation and Public Lands Department received a Young Professional Group (YPG) Action Grant from the HDR Foundation in the amount of $4,950.98.  Within the HDR Organization there is a YPG who applies to their employer's foundation for grants to fund  local worthy causes.  This YPG grant was written by the HDR Billings office of YPG to request funding intended for the purchase of fruit bearing trees and related materials for expansion of the Parkland Gleaning Project. 

In 2018, the City of Billings Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with the Billings Metro VISTA Project, began the Parkland Gleaning for Food Security Project. Gleaning is defined as is the collection of excess fresh food from resources within a community, and then redistributed to those in need. The goal was to create an edible forest in our Parks to provide free, locally grown fruits within close proximity to populations with limited accessibility to healthy food.
 
The original project planted 63 trees of various fruit types in 4 City Parks located adjacent to low income populations. The HDR green team took part in the original planting of the trees at Comanche Park and we are excited for this project to continue through this grant.  We believe there is great opportunity for expansion into additional parks to magnify the impact of the program. This grant will contribute to buying fruit trees as part of an extension of the project, expanding the potential impact of the program, and work towards our agency’s mission “to be Montana’s leader in connecting people, nature, and healthy lifestyles.”
 
The Billings Parks and Recreation Department will orchestrate a volunteer effort to plant the trees, increasing community involvement and awareness of the program. In conjunction to this project, the Billings Parks and Recreation Department is working with local non-profits to build a platform to engage community partners and implement creative ways to utilize the fruit gleaned from the parks. Through this effort, there is an endless potential of ways to localize fresh food production within the city, not only for low-income neighborhoods, but for everyone to enjoy.

We are grateful to the HDR Foundation and the local HDR office YPG in writing and receiving this grant on the City's behalf.

City Council may:

• Accept the donation from the YPG Action Grant from the HDR Foundation in the amount of $4,950.98, or;
• Not accept the donation

There is no budget/financial impact from this action.

Staff recommends that the City Council accept the YPG Action Grant from the HDR Foundation in the amount of $4,950.98.