BriarPatch Expands Apple-Funded Grants to Fight Hunger

Schools and nonprofits serving Nevada or Placer counties can apply.

October 23, 2026

2 min read

Children raise their hands while a woman holds a planting pot beside a board with potato-planting instructions.

Children raise their hands during a potato-planting lesson in Chicago Park. BriarPatch is expanding its garden giving program to support food pantries and other hunger-relief projects.

BriarPatch Food Co-op

GRASS VALLEY – For every pound of apples customers buy at its Grass Valley and Auburn grocery stores, BriarPatch Food Co-op donates 10 cents to local organizations. That money has helped schools and community groups build and expand gardens; now the program is opening to food pantries, school snack programs, and other hunger-relief efforts.

The program began in 2020 as Apples for Gardens. It helps schools and nonprofit-run community gardens pay garden educators and build or expand their growing spaces. BriarPatch features garden recipients each month, according to its program description. The co-op says the program has contributed more than $100,000 to local garden projects over six years.

BriarPatch announced the expansion October 22 under a new name, Apples for Good. Garden projects remain eligible, while the broader program also welcomes efforts that distribute food or teach people about nutrition.

“Apples for Good lets us honor what our garden program built while meeting the broader food security needs of our region,” Katee Crimmel, BriarPatch’s Community Engagement Coordinator, said in the announcement.

Schools and nonprofits serving Nevada County, Placer County, or both can apply. The co-op accepts applications from new programs as well as established ones.

Applicants are asked how long their program has operated, how many students or community members it serves or plans to serve, and how they would use the money. They must also explain how their work strengthens the local food system.

BriarPatch accepts applications on a rolling basis and says it will choose recipients by December for the following year. Organizations whose programs have changed can submit an updated application.