Urban Gardening Coalition
Mission, Vision, and Values
The mission of the UGC is to strengthen the local food system, improve access to healthy food, and empower folks to grow their own.
Our vision is to develop the community leaders and institutional structures necessary to provide a sustainable and timely response based in small-scale agricultural production to the incidence of poverty, food insecurity, and diet related disease in McLennan County
Our values include:
- Equity in access to food and the resources needed to grow your own food
- Community ownership and cooperation in finding the appropriate response to the problems that face our community
- Entrepreneurialism in providing solutions to problems that can be sustained, at least in part, through the development of for-profit structures and the skills necessary to succeed in for-profit businesses
- Service to our neighbors and in our neighborhoods as essential to solving our community problems
- Transparency and openness in our actions and decision-making processes
- Accountability and honesty in our stewardship of resources
Since 2005, The UGC has placed the highest priority on garden programming in neighborhoods with poor access to healthy food markets and high rates of poverty. However, all people and organizations are eligible to receive assistance from and partner with the Coalition. As a coalition, the role of the UGC is to encourage and support partners and interested individuals to carry out identified objectives which relate to our mission – by providing support through shared resources of garden skills and knowledge. Our Coalition members, board of directors, and committee participants include a broad array of individuals from the greater Waco community.
We are a 501(c)3 incorporated nonprofit on record with the IRS, so all donations are tax deductible.