Volunteers

April 16, 2015 – Camden, NJ – The spring weather was beautiful as Campbell Soup Company volunteers joined New Jersey Tree Foundation staff to plant 10 fruit trees at “The 600” Community Garden in Camden City on Wednesday April 15^th. This planting, funded by the Campbell Soup Foundation, is part of a New Jersey TreeFoundation effort to bring more fresh fruit, and trees, into cities.

“The majority of Camden is considered a food desert,” explains NJ Tree Foundation Senior Program Director Jessica Franzini. “This means most low-income residents live more than one mile away from the closest grocery store. Without a car, that makes grocery shopping extremely difficult. Camden City has many thriving community gardens – we are working with them to bring fruit trees as another option for fresh food.”

The planting brought cherry, peach, pear, and plum trees to “The 600” Community Garden. Campbell Soup Company provided volunteers for the event as part of “Make A Difference Week,” Campbell’s annual week of service that began on Monday April 13^th. Throughout the week nearly 3,000 Campbell Soup Company employees will volunteer for more than 90 community projects. “The 600” Community Garden planting had 15 volunteers including seven Campbell Soup employees from the Camden City world headquarters.

The volunteers had a great time digging holes, planting trees, and creating garden beds. One Campbell Soup employee volunteer explained how rewarding it was to “help get good food to the families.” The fruit trees are expected to bear fruit within one year.

The day’s events also included a fruit tree giveaway hosted by the New Jersey Tree Foundation. The giveaway provided an additional 32 fruit trees to community gardens throughout Camden City. Community gardens had to submit an application to receive the free trees, which came with planting and care instructions.