Garden enters Pepsi grant competition

The Huntington Beach Community Garden Assn. is competing against 1,000 other groups online for a $5,000 grant from Pepsi.

The association, formerly the Beach Community Garden Assn., is trying to create a 2.5-acre community garden on a parcel on Atlanta Avenue at the Santa Ana River owned by Southern California Edison. The City Council conceptually approved the project in December and is in negotiations with Edison for a lease.

The project is still in the works, but the association is trying to win $5,000 through the Pepsi Refresh Project for start-up funds. The project is open to people, businesses and nonprofits with ideas that will make a positive impact in health, education, neighborhoods, arts and culture, food and shelter, and on the planet.

Pepsi is giving away more than $1.3 million a month and accepting applications for 1,000 ideas every month. Applicants can ask for $5,000 to $250,000 for their project. Only the top 10 ideas in the each category, except for two in the $250,000 group, will get funded.

The garden is ranked in the high 90s out of 1,000, falling from the 80s earlier in the month, said Annette Parsons, vice president of the association.

The garden is competing against big names like the American Legion, ranked No. 2; Teach for America, a national organization that recruits college graduates to teach for two years in low-income communities, ranked No. 3; and hundreds of smaller projects.

Association President David Baronfeld was looking online for community grants when he came across the Pepsi Refresh Project. The garden will teach the community about organic gardening and give residents an affordable option for fresh fruits and vegetables.

“I think that what we’re trying to do is an excellent community outreach [project],” Baronfeld said.

The association would use the money to install battery-operated locks and a key card system for members and set up irrigation. Some of the money would also be used to create an interactive website.

Voting ends Feb. 28, and the winners will be announced March 1.

To vote for the Huntington Beach Community Garden, go to www.refresheverything.com/HuntingtonBeachCommunityGarden.