During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marcus Mepstead had the opportunity to pause and reflect on what he wanted to leave behind in his sport beyond the medals. With the mission to become a sustainable athlete, Marcus began researching different ways to empower other people and connected with Trees for the Future, a leading charity in sustainable agriculture, tree planting and climate adaptation solutions for smallholder farmers. He loved the organization’s approach of tackling one of the largest root causes of climate change and deforestation: unsustainable land use. Trees for the Future utilizes the Forest Garden Approach with smallholder farms to sequester carbon, improve food security, increase income and promote gender equity. The organization is currently working with thousands of farming families across nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Aside from offsetting his own carbon footprint, Marcus contributes to Trees for the Future by fundraising, creating educational content and volunteering in Ugandan regions impacted by catastrophes.

The P&G 2024 Athletes For Good grant will allow Trees for the Future to plant 100,000 trees across Africa, supporting thousands of farmers and their communities for generations to come.