This year Kubota Tractor Corp. announced its first-ever community revitalization grant program, Hometown Proud. The grant program is an opportunity for $100,000 in funding and use of Kubota equipment to refresh, refurbish, or revitalize a public space.
Kubota identified its top five finalists in the Hometown Proud Grant Program, now open for public vote to help Kubota determine the recipient of the $100,000.
Nearly 400 entries were received from nearly every state in the country, demonstrating diverse needs from communities big and small. Each application was reviewed, scored, and then paired with a local Kubota dealer as the local dealer of choice within each community.
Kubota is now calling for the public’s help in selecting a winner. From now until June 25, the public is invited to visit the Kubota Hometown Proud website to cast a vote for one of the top five finalist projects. Every voter that casts a vote will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a Kubota residential Z200 Series zero-turn mower or BX Series sub-compact tractor. Voters can enter one vote per day for more chances to win.
The community project with the highest combined score from points and votes will be announced as the winner in July 2021.
About the Five Finalists
Bexar County Junior Livestock Show (San Antonio, Texas) — The Bexar County Junior Livestock Show and Auction (BCJLS) has been serving the community for nearly 60 years and is seeking funding to make much-needed improvements to their facility, such as providing ADA-compliant access to buildings via sidewalks throughout the property, which is critical as BCJLS serves many children with special needs.
Westside Food Literacy Program (Turlock, California) — Westside Food Literacy program is looking to expand its onsite community garden to grow more winter crops, along with their teaching ability for children and youth in the underserved neighborhood of Turlock, California. The program is aimed at helping at-risk youth develop work ethic and skills, emotional and mental healing, and agriculture knowledge to become stronger advocates for the industry in the Turlock community, while delivering 150+ fresh produce boxes to community members in need every week, year-round.
Willard PAL Camp Character (Willard, Missouri) –– The Willard PAL program offers hundreds of kids access to activities at Camp Character, a 49-acre tract of land nestled in a heavily wooded area with a stream. The camp puts vetted volunteers in a position to speak and demonstrate good character through “responsibility, honor, self-control and discernment” for the kids who choose to cooperate, building leadership skills and opportunities to explore the outdoors. The grant, if awarded would be used to clear brush, add a hiking trail, improve the road, and improve the onsite facilities.
Habitat For Humanity at Boss Park (Akron, Ohio) — Boss Park, within the University Park neighborhood of Akron, is undergoing a multi-year clean up and revitalization project. Soil testing for the next phase is underway to prepare for a community garden. Prior to this revitalization effort, the park was a nuisance and safety concern for the community, attracting illegal dumping, broken glass, loitering, rodents, and overgrown grass that reduced the curb appeal and safety of the entire neighborhood.
Wayne County Ag Center (Collinwood, Tennessee) — Wayne County Government is constructing Wayne County Agricultural Center (AG Center), Tennessee’s first Ag Center at the county’s existing industrial park that has been used for hay production for 30+ years. Once complete, the AG Center will expand existing ag-related programming, encourage more entrepreneur farmers, and provide training to increase farm production levels, thus increasing the number of industry jobs and help develop the next generation of farmers.
For more information and for Kubota Hometown Proud Grant Program official rules, visit KubotaHometownProud.com.
