In four years, the Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation awarded grants totaling nearly $500,000. For 2012, forty-eight organizations will benefit from grants awarded by the Foundation. Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation is pleased to announce the 2012 organizations receiving grant awards. The awards were presented at the Florida’s Natural Grove House Visitor Center on Nov. 1. “We are pleased to include so many organizations in our grant awards this year. We know that the Central Florida area benefits from this charitable giving from the Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation,“ stated Walt Lincer, President of the Foundation Board.

Activities from children and adult literacy programs to at-risk youth activities are included. “Fourteen of the organizations were recommended by our Grower Members,” Mr. Lincer explained, “that select organizations in their respective communities where there is need.” The Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, a golf tournament held in March provides the majority of the funding for the foundation together with company as well as private donations. “Supporting our local communities is important to our Cooperative and our corporate culture,” commented Lincer.

Below are the organizations receiving grants for 2012 from the Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation:

Achievement Academy

The Way Center - Women and Youth Center , Inc.

Frostproof Care Center, Inc

Help of Fort Meade, Inc.

Historic Lake Wales Society

Samaritan’s Touch Care Center

Breakfast Rotary

Lake Wales Kiwanis Foundation

Ft. Meade Middle/High School

YMCA of Winter Haven

Polk State College Foundation

Polk Training for Handicapped Citizens, Inc.

Junior League of Winter Haven

Redlands Christian Migrant Association

Junior League of Greater Lakeland

Our Children’s Academy & Rehab

Heartland Food Reservoir

Scholarship Recognition, Inc.

Southeastern University

Umatilla Kiwanis Club

Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs—Winter Haven

Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs—Lake Wales

Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs—Haines City

Lake Wales Care Center

Mason Smoak Foundation

Leadership Hendry and Glades Counties, Inc.

Polk Education Foundation

Florida Specialty Crop Foundation

Red Cross of Mid Florida

Lake Wales Soccer Club

Habitat for Humanity, Highlands County

Habitat for Humanity, Winter Haven

Polk County Agri-fest/Polk County Farm Bureau

Good Shepherd Hospice

The Randy Roberts Foundation

United Way of Central Florida/ Family Fundamentals

Lake Wales Literacy Council

Lake Wales Charter Schools

Lake Wales Family Literacy Council

Lake Wales High School Academic Foundation, Inc.

Lake Wales YMCA

Sertoma Camp Endeavor

United Way - Let’s Grow Initiative - Success by 6

Webber International University

Bok Tower Gardens

Explorations V Children’s Museum

Florida Engineering Society Ridge Chapter - MATH COUNTS

Circle of Friends

Florida’s Natural Growers is comprised of fourteen grower organizations representing almost 1000 individual growers who own nearly 50,000 acres of citrus in Florida. Florida’s Natural Growers operates its processing plant in Lake Wales, Florida, with a juice packaging plant in Umatilla, Florida. The Lake Wales facility employs 650 employees and can extract over nine million pounds of fruit every twenty-four hours in peak season. Brands product in Lake Wales include Florida’s Natural ®, Florida’s Natural Growers Pride ®, Donald Duck ®, and Bluebird.