The UPS Foundation and Keep America Beautiful Thursday announced the award of a $5,000 grant to Keep Philadelphia Beautiful as part of their Community Tree and Recovery Tree Planting Program.

Keep Philadelphia Beautiful is partnering with the Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) to give away fruit trees at no cost to community members through a variety of orchard events in fall 2018 and spring 2019.

The tree giveaways will take place in different neighborhoods across Philadelphia to increase the number of city residents with the ability to plant a fruit tree in their yard or community. 

Fruit trees provide both beauty and bounty, and allow urban residents to produce healthy food right in their own neighborhoods. In addition to increasing food access, city fruit trees provide a wide array of environmental benefits.

“Strategic tree plantings can add to a community’s resilience while replenishing the trees lost to natural disasters or blight. Keep Philadelphia Beautiful’s fruit tree giveaway will not only provide healthy food for local residents, but will also clean the air, prevent soil erosion, reduce runoff and provide habitat for local wildlife,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “Tree plantings provide an opportunity for the community to come together and engage in an activity that improves the quality of life for everyone. We are grateful for the partnership of Keep America Beautiful and UPS for providing this opportunity to our local Pennsylvania affiliates.”

Keep Philadelphia Beautiful’s grant is one of 19 grants totaling $100,000 distributed throughout the country to Keep America Beautiful’s community-based affiliates.

It is estimated that the grant recipients’ projects will result in more than 1,200 trees being planted in support of local tree-planting initiatives.

The collaboration with Keep America Beautiful is part of The UPS Foundation’s global tree-planting initiative intended to help sequester levels of carbon dioxide through strategic plantings; emphasize the importance of native tree planting; or produce fruit from fruit trees for local consumption.

In addition, Keep America Beautiful helps connect UPS employees with local Keep America Beautiful affiliates to provide volunteer support to plant the trees and to fulfill other community improvement projects.

Since 2011, Keep America Beautiful and The UPS Foundation have worked together to plant more than 11,200 trees throughout the country.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.

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