Fry's Food Stores donates $5K to Earth Heart Park & Community Garden in Apache Junction

Fry’s Food Stores recently announced a $5,000 donation to Earth Heart Park and Community Garden in Apache Junction.

The donation will revitalize the community space at 625 N. Plaza Drive and enhance sustainability learning as part of Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan to end hunger in communities and eliminate waste across the company by 2025, according to a release.

Funds will be used to establish an Earth Heart Food Forest to foster sustainable education opportunities while cultivating an abundant supply of fresh vegetables and fruits for the community garden refrigerator, it states.

“Partnering with Earth Heart Park is an opportunity to raise awareness about our work to create more sustainable communities across Arizona,” said Monica Garnes, president of Fry’s Food Stores. “We are excited to work with the organization to ensure everyone has access to fresh, nutritious food — an important part of our local mission. Together, we aim to create a more sustainable community for generations to come.”

The donation was awarded through the Kroger Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2017 to address a fundamental absurdity in our food system: nearly 40% of the food produced is thrown away while one in eight Americans struggle with hunger. Last year in Arizona, through Zero Hunger | Zero Waste efforts, Fry’s recycled 47 tons of cardboard and plastic, diverted 51,680 tons of waste from landfills, rescued 2,649 tons of food and provided over 16 million meals to hungry families.

Established in 2012, Earth Heart Park is a community garden that partners with Horizon Health and Wellness to inspire individuals to cultivate their own fresh produce and embrace sustainable living practices. All produce cultivated or salvaged within the garden is reinvested into the local community. Through a diverse array of classes and collaborative learning opportunities, the community garden facilitates the development of a sustainable and thriving ecosystem bolstered by the expertise of Pinal County master gardeners, the release states.

Earth Heart Park hosts various events and activities throughout the year, including educational engagements tailored for local schools and community members. From January to April 2024, Earth Heart Park donated 212 pounds of fresh, organic vegetables to the community garden refrigerator and preserved thousands of seeds, which are redistributed within the community and donated to the Apache Junction free seed library via the local “Seed Up Meet Up” initiative held at the library seed bank.

“We are grateful for the grant from Fry’s which will help us in addressing food insecurity issues for our Apache Junction community by expanding our community garden,” Laura Larson Huffaker, chief executive officer for Horizon Health & Wellness, said in the release. “We understand the importance of a healthy diet, including fresh fruits and vegetables, for a person’s health and wellness, and are excited to partner with Fry’s on this important initiative.”