LoBue Citrus Donates $15,000 to Katie’s Krops

LoBue Citrus is donating $15,000 to Katie’s Krops, which empowers youth across the country to grow a healthy end to hunger in their communities, one vegetable garden at a time. The donation is a result of LoBue’s partnership with Katie’s Krops to celebrate LoBue’s 80th anniversary. From November 2014 to January 2015, LoBue donated a percentage from every case of navel oranges sold to Katie’s Krops. The promotion was supported at retail with specially-marked LoBue Family Legacy branded point of sale signage and social media. Participating retailers included Bristol Farms and Raley’s. “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate 80 years than to partner with Katie’s Krops,” says Norm Gatineau, vice president of sales and marketing at LoBue Citrus. “As a family-owned company we are passionate about sustaining the land for future generations and Katie’s Krops empowers kids to develop skills that connect them to the land and ultimately they will lead the way into the future.” The mission of Katie's Krops is to start and maintain vegetable gardens of all sizes and donate the harvest to help feed people in need, as well as to assist and inspire others to do the same. Once a year, Katie's Krops hosts an annual grant cycle where youths, ages 9 to 16, apply to receive funding to start a Katie's Krops vegetable garden in their community. In 2008, then 9-year-old Katie Stagliano grew a 40-pound cabbage in her backyard and donated it to a soup kitchen where it helped feed 275 people. Moved by the experience, she started Katie's Krops, which currently funds 80 youth-run gardens in 29 states from which the fresh harvest is donated to the underserved. Stagliano has set a goal of expanding to 500 gardens across all 50 states by 2018. LoBue’s partnership with Katie’s Krops will help fund grants for these gardens and help Stagliano work toward her goal.