We’ve worked with a number of non-profits to help make the world a better, safer place. Because our roots are on The Farm, many of our projects have been related to Plenty International, the relief organization formed in response to the devastating earthquake in Guatemala in 1976. All the funds provided to Plenty International by PeaceRoots through the annual Summer Fest fundraiser have directly supported two projects:
- Pine Ridge Gardens program in South Dakota
- Karen’s Nutrition Project, Guatemala City, Guatemala
We have also worked for years with More Than Warmth, having kids decorate quilt squares at our events and turning them into beautiful quilts that are sent to children in troubled areas.
For the past couple of years, we have also helped support The Ghana Project, working to rebuild schools in Cape Coast that were destroyed by severe storms.
Previous fundraisers have also benefited other Plenty projects:
Books To Kids was started by Nashville, Tennessee resident Jim Selin, who had assisted Plenty in relief efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Jim saw firsthand the devastation experienced by families in New Orleans and began to give out books as a way to help children move beyond the trauma they experienced. Plenty agreed to sponsor the program, which eventually grew to replace some of the tens of thousands of children’s books that had been lost in the flooding.
Books To Kids has now expanded to reach new places on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, in Tennessee, New York, Belize, and Pine Ridge. We continue providing free quality books to kids with limited access to books of their own, to increase their curiosity, spark a love of reading, and help them cope with the stresses of life.
Kids To The County is an outdoor, experiential education program that offers inner-city kids the chance to get out of the city and explore nature, their creativity and learn conflict resolution skills away from urban strife. KTC takes place on 1750 acres of woods, fields and streams belonging to the Farm community 80 miles south of Nashville Tennessee, where KTC has operated since 1986. KTC has partnered with homeless shelters, refugee centers, and other groups serving low-income neighborhoods to select children that could most benefit from the KTC opportunity. Many former Kids To The Country participants return to become counselors in training, coming full circle to learn important life skills, experience a sense of belonging and develop empathy and caring for others. Over 8,500 kids have benefitted from Kids To The Country since 1986.