EARTHDAY.ORG Announces Tree Planting Event
in Partnership with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation

EARTHDAY.ORG Announces Tree Planting Event
in Partnership with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation
Supported by JetBlue Airlines

Washington, D.C. (June 9, 2023)- EARTHDAY.ORG, the global organizer of Earth Day and lead recruiter to the environmental movement worldwide, today announced a fruit tree planting event in partnership with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) and Seeds of Hope. The event was funded with the support of JetBlue Airlines and with the participation of JetBlue crew-member volunteers who planted the trees.

The planting took place at the Community Food Pantry Garden at The Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, 6700 W. 83rd Street, Los Angeles on June 9, 2023. During the event, 40 fruiting trees and shrubs were planted onsite and additional garden beds were built to serve the community with organic vegetables. The planted trees will be maintained by the church, local master gardeners, and volunteers. Every Friday, harvest from the garden will be donated to the Food Pantry. The produce from the planting will serve those in need for decades to come.

“EARTHDAY.ORG’s Canopy Project believes in the transformative power of planting fruit trees,” said Aidan Charron, The Canopy Project Campaign Manager at EARTHDAY.ORG. “With heartfelt appreciation to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation and JetBlue Airlines, together we are sowing the seeds of environmental change, nurturing our planet, and fostering thriving local communities.”

“The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is honored to collaborate with Holy Nativity Community Garden, Seeds of Hope, JetBlue Airlines, and EARTHDAY.ORG to collectively create a source of sustainable, organic, perennial nutrition for local families. Through the planting of fruiting trees and shrubs and the building of community garden beds, the neighborhood will be healthier and greener for generations to follow!” shares Cem Akin, Fruit Tree Planting Foundation’s TreeEO.

“We are proud to partner with EARTHDAY.ORG for the third consecutive year,” said Icema Gibbs, vice president of CSR and DEI, JetBlue. “At JetBlue, we encourage our crewmembers and customers to volunteer to make a greater impact in their communities and are excited to offer our Los Angeles-based crewmembers the opportunity to work with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation.”

“The Holy Nativity Community Garden and its associates have been on a mission to provide a safe space to learn about food justice in the city. Whether it be through seed saving, carpentry, tree maintenance, food farming, bread baking, or recipe books, community building from the grass roots up is how we can make sustainable lasting changes for our descendants. Working with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, Seeds of Hope, JetBlue, and EarthDay.org is helping us do just that. We are deeply grateful to build community through this collaboration,” writes Azita Banu, Holy Nativity’s garden manager.

“Seeds of Hope is committed to making life a little easier for our neighbors struggling with food insecurity. Through our network of urban farms and orchards and generous donations from our strategic partners we are able to provide tens of millions of servings of fresh fruits and vegetables to tens of thousands of households across the Southern California region. The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is one of our most valued partners. Together we have been able to plant fruit tree orchards in Los Angeles that will continue to produce fresh fruit for generations,” writes Tim Alderson, Executive Director, Seeds of Hope.

Holy Nativity Community Garden and Food Pantry is located near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which made the participation of JetBlue crewmember volunteers even more meaningful.

ABOUT EARTHDAY.ORG:
EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day (1970), EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. To learn more, please visit: earthday.org

ABOUT Fruit Tree Planting Foundation:
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) is an award-winning international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat climate change, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. FTPF programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as public schools, city parks, community gardens, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries. FTPF’s unique mission benefits the environment, human health, and animal welfare—all at once!

ABOUT Holy Nativity Community Garden:
The Community Garden at Holy Nativity has grown organic fruits and vegetables for the benefit of those in need in the local area since 2008, distributing through Food Pantry LAX, Westside Food Bank, St. Margaret’s, and other agencies. The Garden has been designed keeping permaculture-integrated systems in mind, in order to provide a working demonstration of sustainability and responsible stewardship.