Q&A with Audubon Area Community Development Foundation

The Audubon Area Community Development Foundation raises, manages, and distributes funds to support community nonprofit and city projects in the Audubon area, including the Food Forest Project. We talked with Meghan Eastman, Clerk and Treasurer of the City of Audubon, to learn more about the fund. 

What is the Food Forest Project? 

Audubon City Park lies in the heart of the city. In the summer, families picnic in our shelter, kids of all ages enjoy our playground equipment, and teams are cheered on by their families and neighbors at our baseball diamond. The park is also home to our new Food Forest, where fruit trees grow to provide fresh food, shade, and beauty for the community.  With the guidance of Jared from Country Fields Greenhouse in Detroit Lakes, two rows of apple trees run along the western corridor, and pear and plum trees create a circle in the south-central portion of the park that will one day be home to a memorial garden complete with a statue honoring our city bird, the purple martin.

What inspired the creation of the Food Forest? 

Audubon is working through the GreenStep Cities’ steps to improve sustainability. When I learned about the opportunity to apply for funding to plant our own fresh food forest, I was thrilled. We have a small population and don’t have access to a grocery store or fresh produce locally, and many of our citizens are above retirement age and lack transportation to the nearest city center.  So, when I heard about the funding available, I was very excited to apply for the grant.

How are the Food Forest Project and Audubon Community Development Foundation connected, and how has partnering with West Central Initiative helped your cause? 

When we began working with West Central Initiative on the Food Forest grant, we learned that Audubon has an existing fund at West Central Initiative called the Audubon Area Community Development Foundation, with resources available to support projects like this. The city requested a grant from the Audubon Area Community Development Foundation to purchase the fruit trees that form the circle for our future memorial garden. Our fruit trees are available for sponsorship. Each tree can bring a bit of joy to a family who sponsors it, and this money will go right back into funding park projects in Audubon. We invite sponsors to join us at the dedication ceremony this spring. 

Make a Difference in Your Community

Through our component funds, we harness the power of collective giving to support local community improvement projects, provide funding for nonprofits, give scholarships, and build a better quality of life for years to come. 

Visit the Audubon Area Community Development Foundation’s page to make a donation to the fund, check out our Local Giving page to find other funds in your area, or contact our Community Philanthropy Office Samantha VanWechel-Meyer if you’re interested in creating a fund to benefit your community.