Sure, the Austin Film Festival is focused on the art, craft and business of filmmaking, but it does so much more. The volunteers and attendees are motivated by the amazing things that can happen when people get together to create something good. That’s why Gardenburger® veggie foods were a welcome addition to the festival scene. At our Garden Oasis in the heart of the festival, people could sample delicious Gardenburger® foods and learn more about community gardening.

But the awesomeness didn’t stop there. We were able to donate the planting boxes (raised beds) used in the Garden Oasis to Spectrum Social and Recreation Services in Austin, Texas. Spectrum helps kids with autism, giving them what they need to be successful members of the community. You can read more about Spectrum’s good work here. According to Spectrum’s program director, they’ve been hoping to start a gardening program, but they didn’t have the space or financial resources to get it going. We were proud our help could make their wish come true. And we were happy to see a bunch of brand new community gardening advocates.

A festival dedicated to all things veggie? Count us in! The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival is sponsored by the Boston Vegetarian Society – a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization that works to advance the vegetarian way of life. It’s the longest-running event of its kind in the country. And because it has a reputation for being a tremendous resource for vegetarians, we knew our Garden Oasis would be a welcome addition. We set up our gardening beds and offered samples of tasty Gardenburger® veggie foods. We also offered a series of interactive gardening demonstrations led by a Master Gardener. The turnout was fantastic, and we were able to spread the word about community gardening to veggie lovers far and wide. Good times.