Diana Van Leuven

Gateway Greening is a nonprofit organization dedicated to community development through community gardening. Located in the heart of downtown St. Louis with roots in virtually every community throughout the region, Gateway Greening has helped transform neglected and abandoned lots in St. Louis into productive gardens and beautiful landscaped areas. Founded in 1984 with the mission to provide resources and training to neighborhood groups who believe in their communities and want to reclaim them from urban decay, the organization has expanded its reach to address food security, and urban greening initiatives.

Through Gateway Greening’s City Seeds program Gateway Greening leads a collaboration of local non-profits, colleges, & universities to increase food security in St. Louis. The City Seeds mission is to foster self-sufficiency in addicted and chronically mentally ill homeless, increase production and distribution of locally grown fresh food for low-income residents, and provide nutrition and food preparation/preservation programs.

City Seeds collaborators are:
Gateway Greening, lead organization
St. Patrick Center
Food Circles Networking Project, University of Missouri Extension
St. Louis Master Gardeners
New Roots Urban Farm
Public Policy Research Center, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Operation Food Search
St. Louis Community College, Meramec Horticultural Department & Applied Sciences
Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Department of Transportation

The City Seeds Urban Farm is located near Union Station in downtown St. Louis. Tended by St. Patrick Center clients, these urban farmers seek to overcome homelessness, beat drug addiction and cope with mental illness. Mentored by Gateway Greening, New Roots Urban Farm, and Master Gardeners, the farmers take classes in horticulture while learning hands-on vegetable production and landscape maintenance. As the seasons change, farmers undergo a personal transformation as their experience instills teamwork, responsibility and self-confidence. Food grown is used at McMurphy's Grille, a training site for homeless entering restaurant trades and is donated to food pantries.

Other components of the program serve to improve the economic well-being of both rural farmers and urban residents. Church kitchens host food preservation demonstrations to teach gardeners how to make the most of their harvest. Food Circles Networking Project, University of Missouri Extension connects rural farmers with inner city food distribution outlets to provide not only a new market for the farmers but a source for fresh, local and affordable produce. Community gardens are also food distribution points, while hosting cooking demonstrations.
Other collaborators play important roles in the program. St. Louis Community College offers opportunities for service learning students to become involved in City Seeds. The University of Missouri - St. Louis Public Policy Research Center is conducting the project evaluation.
Support is provided by USDA CSREES Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, USDA, Grant #2005-33800-16482.

Additional funding resources include:
• Bowood Farms
• Kellogg Foundation
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• Missouri Department of Conservation
• Missouri Department of Transportation
• Spectrum Brands
• St. Louis Community Foundation
• Citigroup
• Horstmann Brothers Landscaping
• Kemper Foundation
• Monsanto Fund
• American Community Gardening Association
• Jefferson Bank
• Jerry's Landscape Nursery
• Ladue Chapel
• St. Louis Composting
• Thrivent Lutheran
Staff training provided by Horticultural Society of New York GreenHouse Program on Rikers Island and ACGA. Funds received from the USDA are matched at 100% by City Seeds collaborating organizations.

The success of the program would not be possible without dedicated volunteers. More than 50 individuals and community groups have joined the effort. Volunteers include, but not limited to Joseph Ambrose, Sr. & Jr., Janie Bedwell, Chaminade College Preporatory High School, Marilyn Claggett, Sue Chaires, Deloitte & Touche, Engineers Without Borders of Washington University, Greater St. Mark Church, Horstmann Brothers, JFK High School, Ladue Chapel, Kevin McGowan, McGowan Walsh, Rich Muth, Mary Ann Nye, Jim Schulte, SLU Alpha Phi Omega, SLU Business School, SLU Freshman, St. Louis Master Gardeners, St. Mary's High School, Vianney High School, and all who have helped along the way.

Gateway Greening also provides the following programs in addition to City Seeds Urban Farm project.

Educational Programs
Gateway Greening is committed to sharing the fun and the rewards of gardening with younger area residents. From grow labs to vermincomposting to school garden projects, Gateway Greening and its volunteers bring gardening activities to the classroom with programs in place at over 135 schools and community education centers in the metropolitan St. Louis area.

Neighborhood Greening
Gateway Greening has helped hundreds of communities create their own gardens to improve the appearance of their neighborhoods and serve as catalysts for neighborhood improvement by inspiring, educating, and reflecting the pride of the participants. Since 1984, Gateway Greening has help create hundreds of community gardens throughout the region.

Urban Roots
Gateway Greening is an active member of Urban Roots which is a downtown St. Louis landscape enhancement initiative led by a variety of nonprofit organizations with a mission to recruit volunteers from the gardening, educational, business, horticulture and non-profit communities and provide resources for enhancement of the St. Louis urban landscape, improving the quality of life for those who reside, work and play in downtown St. Louis. Projects managed by Gateway Greening include the inspiration and management support associated with the creation of The St. Louis Planter, placement of 16 St. Louis Planters at Kiener Plaza and the design, installation and care of unique seasonal color plantings at Kiener Plaza, May Amphitheater, Market Street landscape median between Broadway and 7th Street, and Tucker landscape medians at Market Street.