LITITZ, Pa. — You may notice some new trees being planted in your neighborhood this fall. Over 3,000 native trees are expected to be planted across Pennsylvania thanks to funding from the GIANT Company and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Through their 2024 Healing the Planet grant program, 32 groups were awarded grants to plant trees.
“Trees we know are very important to the environment, important to the clean air that we breathe, hence why it’s so important to the GIANT Company," says Courtney Hopcraft, the manager of community relations and charitable giving at the GIANT Company. “Of the 32 there were towns, municipalities, there was a farm, even a college."
One of the recipients of the grant is St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lititz.
“It was so exciting because we’ve already planted a lot of trees but we need to add some more," says Suzanne Black, the director of outreach at the church. "Because the area we’re planting these eastern red cedar trees is a low-lying area that’s right off of our parking lot, which has a lot of stormwater runoff, which can carry a lot of pollution.”
This grant will provide the church with funds to plant nine trees later this fall.
These trees are an addition to an already environmentally conscious congregation. They also have a native forest, a meadow with plants and pollinators, a community garden, and more.
“The goal is to make this a nice area for the community so they can come to enjoy nature while they’re on their walk or walking their dogs and just have some peace and quiet," says Black.
Another local organization that received funding is the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Julia Krall, the PA Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and their partners are on a mission to plant 10 million trees in Pennsylvania by 2025. They are well on their way after just hitting the six million mark.
Thanks to recent funding, they’re one step closer to that goal.
“For us, it’s being able to continue to provide native trees for our partners throughout the state at no cost," Krall tells FOX43. "And that’s really what this funding allows us to do. It allows us to continue to support projects and of course individuals who are doing incredible work throughout the state.”
Residents of Lancaster will see their grant money going to plant trees at McCaskey High School. The foundation hopes to get students involved in the planting too.
“It’s about that community beauty and the shared caring for this living thing that they see along the streets, in backyards, in community gardens. And really, it really is all about what it’s doing for our neighborhoods," says Krall.
Other grant awardees in south-central Pennsylvania include the Capital Area Greenbelt Association in Harrisburg, the Izaak Walton League of America York, and the Manada Conservancy in Hummelstown.
You can find a full list of the grant recipients here.