ScottsMiracle-Gro Brings National Community Gardening Effort to D.C.

NASCAR's Carl Edwards joins local youth in edible gardening initiative to address District hunger needs 


WASHINGTON, April 30  /PRNewswire/ -- The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and its group of philanthropic partners, in conjunction with Keep Washington D.C. Beautiful and Washington Parks & People, are bringing the national GroGood edible gardening program to the U.S. capitol.

In a ceremony to take place at 4:30 p.m. today at the Robert F. Lederer Youth Center Community Garden, located in Marvin Gaye Park, 4801 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave, NE, Washington, D.C., GroGood program partners and local officials will be on hand to dedicate the installation of 40 youth garden plots and 20 family plots. The GroGood program is designed to enable community residents to grow their own food while also giving back to their communities.

"Community gardens are yet another example of how residents can show their commitment to making the District one of the world's most sustainable cities," says Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. "I'm also pleased to announce that a portion of the produce from this community garden will be donated to local food agencies to assist families in need. This is one of the many ways to think and act 'green' in the District."

Local youth groups from Aiton Elementary School, Burrville Elementary School and Houston Elementary School will be on hand to take the GroGood pledge. The pledge will be administered by NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. An avid gardener, Edwards is the driver of the No. 60 ScottsMiracle-Gro car.

National and local representatives of the GroGood partnership will provide gardening tips and instruction to local gardeners. ScottsMiracle-Gro's national and local GroGood partners are: Keep America Beautiful and its Great American Cleanup, Keep Washington D.C. Beautiful, Washington Parks & People, the Garden Writers Association, Plant a Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association and Franklin Park Conservatory.

ScottsMiracle-Gro is donating 1 million pounds of fresh produce to feed those at risk of hunger and is asking Americans to pledge to grow and donate an additional 1 million pounds of produce to help their communities. Other cities with GroGood awareness events this year are Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas and Chicago.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With nearly $3 billion in worldwide sales and more than 6,000 associates, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well.  The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry.  In the U.S., the Company's Scotts(R), Miracle-Gro(R) and Ortho(R) brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup(R) brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto.  In the U.S. the Company operates Scotts LawnService(R), the second largest residential lawn care service business.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol(R), Pathclear(R), Evergreen(R), Levington(R), Miracle-Gro(R), KB(R), Fertiligene(R) and Substral(R). For additional information, visit us at http://www.scotts.com/. 

DATASOURCE: The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company



CONTACT:  Keri Butler of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, [phone]



Web Site:  http://www.scotts.com/ 

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