A Letter from Linda
2024 was a year of relative calm.
At DUG, we embraced our operating mantra – systems, settle, sustain – focusing on process, refinement, and going deep and building on and strengthening the solid bones built in the previous 39 years.
Some highlights from the year:
Field Operations
- Bringing DUG’s food, community and climate framework to life, we installed a Food Forest in Globeville-Elyria-Swansea (GES) in partnership with the GES Coalition, and a community garden outside of Whole Foods Union Station, in partnership with the Central Platte Valley Authority. These two projects, on two very different sites, will actively cultivate food, community, and climate resilience for nearby residents.
Education & Engagement
- The Therapeutic Garden Initiative (TGI) launched with four distinct and highly impactful pilot gardens. The TGI shines a light on what we all know to be true – connection to nature grounds us all.
- The DUG Food Forestry Training Program launched and trained community advocates, tapping into local knowledge and expanding our technical offerings.
Food Access
- Hundreds of thousands of free seed packets were distributed across the city, through our Community Seed Distribution and our Culturally-Relevant Seed Program. These seeds grew into over 100,000 lbs of fresh, healthy produce, filling bellies, diversifying meals, and saving on grocery bills.
Operations
- We saw massive finance, technology, and HR systems upgrades helping DUG operate more efficiently to better serve all members of our community.
Finance
- Our fundraising efforts brought over $1.2 million in federal funding to support our work in Denver’s West Area neighborhoods, reinforcing our conviction that there IS enough when we lift up the voice of the people of Denver.
As we geared up for our legacy year, we reflected on the fact that DUG gardens and food forests are, in fact, metro Denver legacies. Our sites, along with our education and food access programming, deliver on DUG’s promise to the people of our city by providing the skills, access, and resources to grow healthy food in the community and regenerate urban green spaces.
DUG’s work is life-giving and affirming, and we look forward to serving the same glorious purpose for future generations.
Read on to get more details of DUG’s accomplishments and impact in 2024.
As we like to say at DUG, we are all good news. We all need a little of that every day.
Here’s to a thriving Denver.
With Gratitude,
Linda Appel Lipsius
Executive Director
