Former TreadRight project Flourish Forever is based in Los Angeles, California and provides the tools and education to build and maintain community gardens for communities with limited access to healthy food. Flourish Forever and Green Bronx Machine were TreadRight's first projects in the US, both focused on sustainable food production.
Flourish Forever is family-run and founded by Siena Mills, a high school junior at the time. Their mission to help others access the benefits of healthy foods was born out of Siena’s passion for the environment and for people, along with her experience growing up with fresh, wholesome food. Recognizing fresh food as fuel and the importance of a healthy, nutritious diet to a fulfilling life, Flourish Forever envisions a world where food insecurity, which is a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, is addressed through thriving community food gardens.
By increasing access to fresh produce through community gardens in neighborhoods with the greatest need, Flourish is working to eliminate food and health injustices by also providing the knowledge and skills which lead to self-sufficiency. This, in turn, puts power in the hands of community members where it belongs.
The TreadRight funding will go towards a new garden in Crenshaw, California, in partnership with the American Heart Association and Crenshaw United Methodist Church. Located at the front of the church, the garden will be available to the local Crenshaw community and will also engage a local high school for its maintenance and for educational purposes. The garden will consist of a maximum of seven boxes, and all supplies, seeds, soil, tools, fertilizer, and boxes will be funded by The TreadRight Foundation, Flourish Forever and the American Heart Association. Flourish Forever’s goal is to eventually host farm–to–table workshops, using the garden as a classroom.
TreadRight Founding Partner Contiki, the award-winning travel company for 18-35 year-olds, offers travellers the opportunity to visit this project on USA trips as Make Travel Matter Experiences. On Contiki’s Best of USA, guests will be able to learn more about Flourish Forever.
This project promotes the principles of responsible consumption and production by educating community members on the importance of local food systems. Community gardens are a cornerstone of sustainable food production that provides food security while maintaining a sense of community.
