Dig in Yancey Community Garden
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To build and maintain a community garden that feeds Yancey County and empowers people to grow their own healthy foods.
- Income
- $267,569
- Spending
- $187,109
- Spent on programs
- 77%
- Reserves
- 14.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 94%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 175
- Highest pay
- $47,178, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 81% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 14.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 30% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 13% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1577% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $143,325 spent. Garden that Gives: Dig In! Community Garden grew food at our one-acre organic garden with our staff and 150 volunteers. All of the produce was donated to distribution programs addressing food insecurity in Yancey County. In 2025, over 7,000 pounds of produce were harvested and shared. Dig In prioritizes growing crops that are nutritionally dense, culturally appropriate, and suited to the Southern Appalachian Mountain climate. We also supported 5 smaller, independent community gardens in Yancey County, NC that share food among their members, with food pantries, or neighbors.
- Food for All: The Food For All programs, in cooperation with our community partners, addresses food insecurity by distributing high-quality fresh produce to residents of Yancey County at no charge. From June to October 2025, Dig In served an average of 200 families weekly through our Harvest Share and Cosecha Para El Pueblo walk-up free markets. Throughout the fall, 25 low-income senior households received pre-packaged shares as well.
- Learn + Teach: Dig In mentored two farmers-in-training through seasonal internships. We provided hands-on educational programming to 150 individual volunteers between April and October 2025 through Work Together volunteer days. We launched an educational workshop series, called Saturdays in the Garden, with 15 events throughout the year and over 90 unique attendees building skills around food, community, and environmental stewardship. And we launched a membership- based Tool Library with food-related equipment for use by community gardens and individual gardeners.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 2011.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.