Sprouts Farmers Market grants Southwest Tennessee Community College donation for Saluqi Grows Program

By Marketing and Communications Staff

Sprouts Farmers Market employees and Southwest
Tennessee Community College staff at the Saluqi
Grows donation ceremony on Sept.7, 2024.

Southwest Tennessee Community College is expanding its Saluqi Grows program thanks to a $10,000 Neighborhood Grant from Sprouts Farmers Market.  

The generous grant donation, presented to members of the College's Development staff on Sept. 7 at Sprouts in Lakeland, Tenn., was made possible as part of the Sprouts Farmers Market Healthy Communities Foundation program, which promotes and supports nutrition education and access across local communities. 

The Saluqi Grows program focuses on the development, management, and maintenance of the College’s hydroponics garden, located on the Union Avenue Campus. Students involved in the program also learn about nutrition, greenhouse operations, and how to best spot and reduce food insecurity in their local communities.

Suzanne Gibson, director of grants development and management at the College, shared that the grant will enable the College to have fresh produce available for students year-round and will address food security issues. 

“Statistics show that a top barrier to student success is food insecurity,” said Gibson. “We are so grateful to Sprout’s Farmers Market for helping to remove this barrier and for supporting healthier lifestyles for our students.”

Thank you to our partners at Sprouts! We look forward to utilizing the funding to help students learn more about hydropnics and to expand the Saluqi Grows program.