The UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County Master Gardener Volunteer program was recognized for excellence during the 2023 International Master Gardener Conference, hosted by the Kansas State University Extension Master Gardeners of Johnson County, held in Overland Park, Kansas, June 18 – 22,2023. The award was presented during the conference and was attended by 1,130 Extension Master Gardeners and Extension professionals from 44 states, Canada, and England. The David Gibby International Search for Excellence Awards, named in honor of the founder of the Extension Master Gardener program, recognize exemplary group projects that show significant learning by the Master Gardeners or the public. The award-winning projects showcase the efforts and talents of Master Gardener volunteers, often providing economic, environmental, educational, and health impacts. These innovative projects frequently serve as models, influencing the development of Extension Master Gardener-led programs worldwide. The awards are divided into seven categories: Community Service, Demonstration Gardens, Innovative Projects, Research (Applied Scientific Methodology), Special Needs Audiences (Senior, Disabled Audiences or Horticultural Therapy), Workshops or Presentations, and Youth Programs. UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County Master Gardeners placed second in the following category: Community Service for Plant-A-Pail Community Outreach Workshops™. Plant-A-Pail Community Outreach Workshop™ (PAP) targeted residents of Manatee County living in food desert communities where access to fresh, healthy vegetables is limited. Conceived and operated by Manatee County Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV’s) as a way to reach underserved members of the community, the purpose of PAP was to conduct a series of workshops to teach residents how to grow their own vegetables at home in containers. All materials were provided free of charge. 348 people have attended PAP workshops from August 2017 to December 2022. We have vastly increased the educational outreach into the underserved communities that comprise just under one-third of our county’s residents. The success rate of their vegetable gardens has been outstanding, with over 90% reporting yields of over 14 different crops for an estimated 200 lbs. of vegetables. Extension offices of four other land-grant universities have adopted PAP in one or more counties at University of Arizona, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina, and Cornell. Currently, there are 133 Master Gardener volunteers in Manatee County who support UF/IFAS Extension's educational programs in consumer horticulture. They help Extension better serve the home-gardening public by answering questions, speaking to groups, gardening in demonstration gardens, and participating in many other projects.

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