FARMINGTON – Life Enrichment Advancing People (LEAP), Inc., recently received a $5,000 grant from the Western Mountains Fund of the Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF) in support of the Stone Soup Gardens. The funds will be used to purchase start-up equipment, educational tools and support for interns.

The Stone Soup Garden Project is a community agricultural collaborative including the Dept. of Community Health Education at the University of Maine at Farmington, LEAP, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Franklin County Healthy Community Coalition and many others.

The Stone Soup Garden Partners aim to foster community involvement through education and shared resources as well as to promote curiosity, discovery, and innovation for the benefit of society. The SSG partners will fulfill this mission through four core principles: Agricultural Sustainability with Environmental Sensitivity, Inclusion of people of all abilities, Building Social Capital and Research.

“This is a very dynamic partnership using local resources and connections to support lots of people to be healthier and more active. Lila Haynes, a UMF Community Health intern and Dr. Maurice “Bud” Martin, an assistant professor from The Dept. of Community Health Education at UMF, as well as countless others have been instrumental in creating this collaborative and developing funding,” said Rick Dorian, LEAP’s executive director.

LEAP will also be receiving $1,000 through the Bangor Savings Bank’s Community Matters More campaign to support the Stone Soup Gardens.

For 25 years the Maine Community Foundation has been partnering with donors and community groups to strengthen Maine through grants and scholarships. For more information, visit the foundation’s Web site at www.mainecf.org or call toll-free 1-877-700-6800.