Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA
April 16, 2014

• Sixteen not-for-profit organizations recognized for their service to the Greensboro, N.C., and Minnetonka, Minn., communities
• Corporate giving program supports agricultural education and hunger relief initiatives with more than $500,000 contributed over the past decade
• Syngenta Community Grant Program expands to include Minnetonka site

The annual Syngenta Community Grant Program recently awarded $70,000 to 16 local organizations serving its headquarters site communities of Minnetonka, Minn., and Greensboro, N.C., as part of its broader community relations efforts. This is also an extension of The Good Growth Plan introduced by Syngenta during 2013

“The Syngenta Community Grant Program is a way to bring The Good Growth Plan to life in our communities by recognizing and supporting local organizations that share our passion and commitment,” said Jessica Adelman, senior vice president and head, Corporate Affairs North America at Syngenta. “The missions of this year’s grant recipients reflect the core principles of The Good Growth Plan: More food, less waste; More biodiversity, less degradation; and More health, less poverty.”

"For the last decade, Syngenta has contributed over $500,000 to more than twenty organizations in Greensboro, N.C., through the Syngenta Community Grant program,” said Shelley Olds, community engagement lead for Syngenta. “This program empowers our employees to select and distribute funds to local non-profit organizations which specialize in agricultural education or hunger relief initiatives. We are excited the program has expanded to our Minnetonka, Minn., location."

2014 Greensboro-area recipients include:

• BackPack Beginnings – providing children in need with nutritious food, comfort items or certain basic necessities through the use of backpacks or other efficient means of distribution.
• Crisis Control Ministries, Inc. – assisting those in crisis to meet essential life needs and to become self-sufficient.
• Fairgrove Family Resource Center, Inc. – building a better community one family at a time.
• Food Assistance, Inc. – offering food, friendship and hope to improve health and wellness to low-income and disabled seniors in Guilford County, N.C.
• Greensboro Urban Ministry – working with the community to meet the needs of our most vulnerable and oft-forgotten citizens.
• Guilford County North Carolina Cooperative Extension – an educational partnership helping people put research-based knowledge to work for economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, and an improved quality of life.
• Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden – a place of unique beauty seeking to inspire, educate and connect people of all ages to the world of plants, gardening and horticulture.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina – reducing hunger and malnutrition in northwest N.C.
• StepUp Ministry Greensboro – helping people in poverty through job readiness, life skills training and comprehensive case management to stabilize their lives.
• Syngenta Volunteers in Action – a team of Syngenta employees that share the same desire to reach out to those that need assistance meeting basic needs such as education and nutrition.

2014 Minnetonka-area recipients include:

• AFSA (Academy for Science & Agriculture) High School, Vadnais Heights, Minn. – a grade 7-12 public charter school with a mission rooted in agricultural and science education.
• The Hennepin Elementary School, Minneapolis, Minn. – an inner-city K-3 public charter school providing all students with the knowledge, skills, and character to graduate from high school and the confidence to successfully complete their post-secondary education.
• Minnesota Brownfields – promoting, through education, research, and partnerships, the efficient clean-up and re-use of contaminated land as a means of generating economic growth, strengthening communities and enabling sustainable land use and development.
• Minnesota Landscape Arboretum – connecting people with nature and offering a restorative and inspirational experience that is unique in Minnesota.
• Second Harvest Heartland – the upper Midwest's largest hunger relief organization distributing food to nearly 1,000 agency partners, including food shelves and on-site dining programs.
• Sibley East Schools, Arlington, Minn. – a K-12 public school district whose mission is to maximize the use of community resources to prepare today’s students to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 28,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please go to http://www.syngenta.com.

Website: http://www.syngenta-us.com

Published: April 16, 2014