NNGI receives $14,200 donation from 100 Women of Huntington for tree planting program
Members of the Northport Native Garden Initiative with team leaders of 100 Women of Huntington at their April 17 meeting.
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The latest donation made by the 100 Women of Huntington nonprofit organization went to the Northport Native Garden Initiative, a group of local volunteers who are earmarking the funds for a native tree planting program.
At the April 17 meeting that took place at clothing store Mitchell’s in Huntington Village, the group heard from Northport resident Matt Gorman, who spoke for NNGI alongside his daughter, Bridget, and fellow organization board members, Nicole Tamaro, Sara Abbass, Eileen Gorman and Barbara Bolen – all members of 100 Women.
Gorman briefly explained the benefits of native plants in a delicate and complex ecosystem, and discussed his concern with the number of trees that have recently come down within Northport and the greater Huntington township. “Everytime I hear a chainsaw, I squirm a little,” he said, adding that if NNGI received the donation, it would go primarily toward a tree replacement program, planting native trees throughout the town to offset tree removals or fill in barren spaces.
After the membership vote, which included two other nominees, Pink Aid and the Huntington Youth Bureau, NNGI was awarded the $14,200 donation.
“All of us here at the Northport Native Garden Initiative are thrilled and honored that our organization was chosen to be the recipient of a grant from the 100 Women of Huntington,” NNGI leadership told the Journal. “We are so grateful that the women present saw the value in what we do. We plan to use the money, as promised, to improve the ecological health of the Town of Huntington.”
NNGI said that they would be working with town officials to identify areas within Huntington where more trees can be planted and to choose native trees that will be most beneficial, both ecologically and aesthetically.
They will also be allocating a portion of the donated money for schools, religious centers and other community groups within the town to create pollinator gardens, leadership explained. “With the support of this grant from the 100 Women group, we will be able to expand our reach in beautifying our town and improving its biodiversity.”
