Whole Foods has just donated $1.2 million to provide edible gardens at schools across the country—and here’s how your school could be next.
Whole Kids Foundation, the company’s nonprofit focused on kid’s nutrition and wellness, has just awarded grants to 602 schools in the United States and Canada to help implement new school gardens or support ones that already exist. School gardens provide hands-on learning that is linked to every common core subject, including math, science and English.
photo: Maggie Zhao via Pexels
“Through our Garden Grant program, schools and nonprofit organizations transform outdoor spaces into vibrant hands-on outdoor classrooms that connect kids with food, spark their curiosity, and inspire them to make healthier choices for meals and snacks,” said Tristana Pirkl, Outdoor Education Leader for Whole Kids Foundation. “We truly believe in gardens as powerful learning spaces for nutrition, wellness and for all subjects!”
Besides being a great learning tool having access to fresh produce also encourages kids to make healthier choices in their diets. Those healthy habits can extend into the home for the whole family as well.
The Whole Kids Foundation accepts applications for grants each year between Sep. 1 and Oct. 15. Schools are notified of their $2,000 grant award in Feb. For more information on the Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant program and to apply, check out the website here.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
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