Fire and Ice Blog

Situation Wanted

Looking for a local, regional or national business that would be interested in sponsoring a urban/community garden in Detroit. 

Research has shown that Detroit is one of the leaders in the development and execution of urban farming with over 200 documented family gardens and nearly 100 community gardens.  With minimal investment your business could be involved in one of the most important movements in Detroit and cities like it.  There can be no better way to touch and impact the lives of so many people, whether it be the benefactors or the beneficiaries.  And with today’s technology it would be very easy to ensure that all stakeholders would have a positive image/awareness of your brand and what it represents.

Nine Below Zero , we specialize in executing low-cost but effective high-yield cause marketing programs that capitalize on today’s technology to mainstream public awareness/branding of your company and its corporate outreach strategy is introducing Project Sweet Tomato.  With sponsorship packages that begin as low as $1,525  annually for a local program, Nine Below Zero can get you started with a program that is guaranteed to increase awareness of your brand while promoting your corporate ideology/message.

Nine Below Zero would serve as the liaison/coordinator of the program, therefore alleviating the business/sponsor of the task of managing the program on a daily basis.

A Detroit-based program could include the following elements:

• Membership in The Gardening Resource Program (mandatory for any garden within city limits) with collaborative support from: The Greening of Detroit, Detroit Agriculture Network, Earthworks, Urban Farm/Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Michigan State University.  (www.DETROITAGRICULTURE.ORG)
• Membership with the National Home Gardening Club (not mandatory).  (www.gardenclub.com)
• Several locations/regions within city limits to choose from to grow your garden (Schools, Churches, Senior Citizen Complexes, State/City-owned vacant lots, etc.)
• A network of volunteers to help plant the crops and maintain the garden
• An ongoing journal with photos/videos chronicling the urban gardening experience from the perspective of the gardeners, volunteers, community and corporate
• A social network program
• Hosting crop planting and harvest  picnics
• Signage at each sponsored garden location

Memberships to the clubs include special benefits/discounts, resources, offers, newsletters and events.  Go to the respective web sites for more information.  Special advertising opportunities are available from the national magazine of the National Home Gardening Club.  Rates would be provided upon requests.

In addition to the Detroit locations, several cities in the metropolitan Detroit area have active urban/community garden programs.  Those cities are:

• Birmingham
• Dearborn Heights
• Ferndale
• Livonia
• Royal Oak

The State of Michigan Land Bank program provides the opportunity for any person or business to create a garden in any community provided that vacant state-owned land is available.  There is a standard flat fee for Nine Below Zero to conduct the research to find suitable locations.  There is a fee to register the land as well as a mandatory fee to have the soil tested by the state.

To learn more about this program click on Project Sweet Tomato   For other Nine Below Zero cause-related marketing programs contact Arthur Littsey/Nine Below Zero at littsey.arthur@sbcglobal.net or by phone (313) 369-1710.