The Whitefish Community Garden wasn’t the big winner in the Nature’s Path grant competition for two $25,000 awards, but it is one of three finalists that will receive $5,000 in food donations for the North Valley Food Bank.

More than 250 applications were received for the popular national competition, and more than 23,000 people voted to select two winners to receive a share of $50,000 cash and fundraising support for their program.

 With a boost from a get-out-the-vote effort for the Whitefish Community Garden at the United Methodist Church in Whitefish, the garden was named a finalist.

The Vallejo People’s Garden in Vallejo, Calif., and the Damayan Garden Project in Tallahassee, Fla., were selected as this year’s winners.

 Other finalists to get $5,000 for their food banks are St. Louis, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn.

 Whitefish Community Garden supporters wanted to use the grant money to hook up to city water, build an irrigation system, build more community relief beds for the North Valley Food Bank, offer more scholarships (free garden plots) to low-income families and begin building wheelchair-accessible plots.

Anyone wanting to offer financial help for the Whitefish project can get more information online at www.whitefishcommunitygarden.com