Fostering Environmental Literacy, Wells Fargo Makes ‘$2 Million Grant’ To The Kitchen Community


10/25/2017

Innovation, environmental education, nutrition, technology, and application of concepts through primary stages of education will shape future environmental leader and to foster them Wells Fargo has put forth its “2020 Environmental Goals”.


Dailycsr.com – 25 October 2017 – On July 19, 2017, the “Wells Fargo & Company” made an announcement, whereby revealing the news of the company’s “$2 million grant to The Kitchen Community”, as an attempt to promote “innovative, outdoor Learning Garden Classrooms” and made them accessible to “thousands of students” across the country, especially in the “underserved communities”.
 
While, Ethical Performance mentioned that:
“The contribution represents the largest corporate donation to the organization”.
 
Moreover, through this philanthropic venture, the company takes forward its “2020 Environmental Goals”, whereby it pledges to give “$65 million in contributions by 2020” towards the fostering of “resilient communities, clean technology and innovation, and environmental education”. 2011 is the founding year of the “Kitchen Community” which was started by “Chef Hugo Matheson and Kimbal Musk”.
 
At present, the Kitchen Community reaches out to over two hundred thousand students on “every school day”, including “nearly 400 outdoor Learning Garden classrooms” spread across “Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Memphis, Tenn”. The National Director at the Kitchen Community, Tighe Hutchins said:
“The bank’s contribution empowers TKC to reach its 2020 impact goal of 1000 schools across 10 cities to reach hundreds of thousands more children in low-income areas.
“We’re thrilled to work with Wells Fargo to bring more Learning Gardens to kids across America. We’ll be able to build more Learning Gardens in more cities that connect kids to real food, the natural world, and teach them about a key environmental issue of our time: where their food comes from.”
 
The outdoor classrooms play a role in the introduction of “fresh, healthy food” diet of children, while they also become “edible gardens” that has been “designed” to further “academic achievement” along with driving “community engagement”. Starting from kindergarten students to the students of eighth grade, all “apply math and science concepts while planting, maintaining, and harvesting their produce”.
 
In fact, the beds of “Learning Garden” has been “customized, modular, and raised” to allow shade and seating arrangement to nurture conducive learning and teaching environment. While, the Chief Executive Officer as well as the Co-founder of the Kitchen Community, Musk added:
“Without involving school gardens in primary education, we cannot expect to cultivate the citizens of tomorrow whom will improve the health of our city ecosystems”.
“We are proud to partner with Wells Fargo in promoting a message of environmental stewardship, community engagement, and opportunity for underserved, urban students”.
 
From the year of 2005, Wells Fargo’s culture has “integrated sustainability initiatives”, funded “innovative organizations” fostering “environmental literacy” as well as “sustainability leaders” of the coming generation. The Vice-President of Well Fargo’s “environmental philanthropy manager”, Ashley Grosh said:
“The Kitchen Community’s program is already having a huge impact and we are excited to work alongside the organization to reach even more students and communities”.
 
Furthermore, Ethical Performance informed:
“Through its environmental education grant-making, Wells Fargo promotes scalable community outreach and education programs, targeting low-to-moderate-income communities and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives. The bank’s larger environmental commitment also focuses on improving its own operational efficiency, financing renewable energy projects and advancing clean technologies”.
 
 
 
References:
ethicalperformance.com