Local First Arizona to Open Garden Education Center at Heart & Soil People’s Garden on March 31
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Charlotte Shaff
The Media Push for Local First Arizona
602-418-8534
Local First Arizona to Open Garden Education Center at Heart & Soil People’s Garden on March 31
A transformative $1 million gift from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation transforms South Phoenix urban garden and entrepreneurship
PHOENIX (March 23, 2026) — Local First Arizona will celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Garden Education Center at Heart & Soil People’s Garden on Tuesday, March 31, at 11 a.m., marking the culmination of a historic $1 million investment from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. The event will bring together Arizona Department of Agriculture Director Paul Brierley, philanthropists Bob and Renee Parsons, State Conservationist for USDA-NRCS Keisha Tatem, and Local First Arizona Founder & CEO Kimber Lanning to honor a milestone year in the making — and a community that made it possible.
"The gardeners at Heart & Soil have built something extraordinary, and now, with this new land and classroom space, we can take it even further,” said Kimber Lanning, Founder & CEO, Local First Arizona. “Teaching urban farming, nutrition and financial empowerment in this multigenerational community is exactly what this neighborhood deserves, and The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation made it a reality.”
A South Phoenix Food Desert Reimagined
Heart & Soil People’s Garden has its roots in a simple but powerful act of generosity. In 2022, longtime Local First business coalition members Pat and Howard Fleischmann of Community Tire Pros & Auto Repair donated a vacant lot in the heart of South Phoenix — a neighborhood long defined by limited access to fresh, affordable food. Local First tapped Founder and Garden Director Chanika “Nika” Forté, a seventh-generation farmer, to step in with a vision: to transform that empty corner into a women-led urban farm that could nourish both bodies and community.
What grew from that lot has exceeded every expectation. Today, Heart & Soil is cultivated by 12 active women growers, produces more than 14,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables annually, and was designated a People's Garden by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2023. As food costs rise and communities grow more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, urban gardens are no longer a luxury. They’re an essential piece of infrastructure, and a living example of Local First’s mission in action.
"We are beyond grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible community resource which stands in the middle of a significant food desert,” said Chanika “Nika” Forté, Founder & Garden Director, Heart & Soil People’s Garden. “We have so many growers now, and more are coming. Being able to produce vegetables builds the kind of self-sufficiency our community needs right now to ensure everyone has access to healthy food.”
What a $1 Million Investment Makes Possible
In 2024, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation awarded Local First Arizona $1,013,000, the largest private donation in the organization’s 23-year history. The gift funded two priorities: $663,000 to expand Heart & Soil's physical space, and $350,000 to support Local First’s business accelerator programs for Spanish-speaking and Black entrepreneurs.
The garden investment has been transformative. Local First acquired an adjacent lot, cleared and prepared the land, and constructed the new Garden Education Center – a fully equipped classroom and restroom facility – along with ADA-accessible pathways, additional raised beds, shade structures and an expanded irrigation system.
“Health and wellness have always been deeply important to me, and access to fresh, nutritious food is a big part of that,” said Renee Parsons, Co-Founder of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. “This effort shows us what is possible when community comes together around a shared vision. They’re not only growing healthy food at the garden, but they’re also nurturing stronger, more connected neighborhoods.”
More Than a Garden: A Hub for Education and Economic Opportunity
The new Garden Education Center is designed to do far more than grow food. It will serve as a community anchor for agricultural education, entrepreneurship training and neighborhood empowerment — particularly for women and historically underserved communities in South Phoenix.
Local First will be incubating urban farmers through its recently launched Ag Business Boot Camp, with participants having a site to grow while they’re working to secure land of their own.
Programming will include hands-on training in crop planning, soil health, composting, seasonal planting and sustainable urban agriculture, alongside community workshops, youth activities and open-air markets. The Center will also host targeted business boot camps covering financial literacy, loan readiness, business planning, market development and supply-chain coordination, equipping urban farmers with the tools to turn their growing expertise into thriving enterprises.
“To me, this investment is about opportunity, plain and simple,” said Bob Parsons, Co-Founder of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. “The expanded garden creates more space, access, and opportunity for people to grow, earn, and learn something that can be carried forward for generations.”
A Partnership Built Over Years
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation’s support of Local First Arizona dates back to 2018, when the partnership began with a “Small but Mighty” grant. Since then, the Foundation has invested a cumulative $1,369,000 in Local First’s work, a commitment that reflects a shared belief in the power of community-driven economic development and the entrepreneurs who fuel it.
MEDIA INVITED TO ATTEND
What: Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting — Garden Education Center at Heart & Soil People’s Garden
When: Tuesday, March 31 - 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: Heart & Soil People’s Garden - 1728 S. 1st St., Phoenix, AZ 85004
Who: Speakers include Kimber Lanning (Local First Arizona), Bob & Renee Parsons (The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation), and AZDA Director Paul Brierley
Visuals: Ribbon-cutting, garden tour, growers on-site and available for interviews.
About Local First Arizona
Established in 2003, Local First Arizona is a non-profit organization fiercely dedicated to driving inclusive community and economic development throughout Arizona. We have created a movement that champions a thriving and diverse economy, fostering community support and an unwavering sense of local pride and purpose in every Arizonan. Our work shapes the future of Arizona by advocating that every individual and community deserves the opportunity to thrive, and that entrepreneurship is at the core of any lasting economy. In rural, Tribal, suburban and urban communities across our great state, Local First is delivering resources to ensure a future focused on economic opportunity for all. Because our state is our story. Follow Local First Arizona on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook or subscribe to the newsletter at localfirstaz.com.
About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers support to nonprofit organizations successfully working to empower, educate, nurture and nourish people during what is often the darkest time of their lives. Founded in 2012 by philanthropists and business leaders Bob and Renee Parsons, the Foundation offers critical funding at critical times to those in need. Its giving is driven by the core belief that all people — regardless of race, religion, roots, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity — deserve access to quality healthcare, education and a safe place to call home. Follow @WeDealInHope on social media or visit TBRPF.org to learn more.
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