Kubota Tractor Corp. has selected give $100,000 grant recipients for the third annual Kubota Hometown Proud grant program — which is aimed at providing support for cities, counties, and nonprofit organizations and their unique initiatives across the country.
Now, each of the five winners is put up for a public vote, and the hometown project with the most votes will win an additional $100,000 grant as the Kubota Community Choice Award winner. As an incentive, every vote submitted at KubotaHometownProud.com will be entered into a separate sweepstakes for the chance to win a Kubota zero-turn mower or BX sub-compact tractor.
Voting is open now until 11:59 p.m. CT Aug. 14, and the public is encouraged to visit KubotaHometownProud.com and cast a vote for one of the five community projects. Every vote submitted will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win the zero-turn mower or sub-compact tractor. Voters can make their selections once per day to increase their odds of winning. The community project with the most votes will be announced as the Kubota Community Choice Award winner in September.
The 2023 Kubota Hometown Proud grant recipients that you can vote for include:
Black Farms, Food and Families Project (Lebanon, Tenn.)
The Black Farms and Families project, in partnership with Absolute Kubota, the New Farmer Academy at Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Tennessee State University (TSU), will use a Kubota Hometown Proud Grant to build an educational greenhouse, to help revitalize minority interest in agriculture through a “seed-to-feed” project. If awarded the Kubota 2023 Community Choice Grant, the organization would coordinate additional programs to support community gardens, install fruit trees, create and build on more initiatives for farmers through increased work with other nonprofits.
Hunger Task Force (West Milwaukee, Wis.)
Hunger Task Force, Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank, is a unique program that includes a 208-acre urban farm that grows fresh produce for local families. The Farm is supported by 5,000 volunteers and equipment from their local Kubota dealer, Lochen Equipment and the Kubota Hometown Proud Grant will help to purchase much-needed equipment. If awarded the Community Choice grant, they will also be able to purchase more equipment to their production food safety practices.
Lucasville Community Park (Lucasville, Ohio)
Every hometown needs a community gathering space, and that is what this project is all about: together with their local Kubota dealer, Ricer Equipment, we are proud to announce Lucasville Community Park as a 2023 grant recipient, helping them to build an amphitheater. If awarded the Community Choice grant, the organization will also be able to construct the next phase of the park project, which consists of building a ¼ mile paved walking path, making the space accessible to all.
The Children’s Village (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)
“Every family deserves a village” is the belief of The Children’s Village, a trauma-responsive safe haven providing crisis youth housing and family support services. Partnering with their local Kubota dealer, Coeur D’Alene Tractor, The Children’s Village applied for, and won, a 2023 Kubota Hometown Proud grant of $100,000. If awarded the 2023 Community Choice grant, the organization will also be able to build a garden to become more self-sufficient and teach children about healthy eating.
The Giving Grove (Dallas, Texas)
The Giving Grove community orchard program helps volunteers install and maintain fruit trees and berry bushes that provide a free source of fresh food for urban neighborhoods. With the support of Schaffer Kubota, this grant will allow GROW to purchase a truck and landscape trailer to transport trees and supplies to the 24 existing orchard sites around the region. With the Community Choice grant, if awarded, GROW plans to purchase additional equipment and fund more orchard sites.
More than 700 entries were received this year from across the country, demonstrating diverse and genuine needs from communities big and small. Kubota is honored to invest in hometowns across America and help make sustainable impacts for the future — from building agriculture centers and barns, to supporting community gardens and vocational farming programs — which is exactly what the brand’s hard-working equipment is built for. To date, the company has awarded $1.2 million in Kubota Hometown Proud grants.
