$150,000 awarded to local Southland schools to grow edible gardens

The Irvine-based Western Growers Foundation and the state Department of Education announced Friday that $150,000 in grant money was distributed to 100 K-12 schools in California, including nearly two dozen in the Southland, to create and sustain their own edible gardens.

Each school received $1,500, plus seeds and other materials. The grants were made possible through a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant administered through California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Edible school gardens give children the opportunity to learn where their food comes from and the importance of good nutrition, according to Paula Olson, a Western Growers marketing executive who oversees the foundation’s Edible School Gardens project.

“It’s staggering to think that the majority of children go without eating even one serving of fruits and vegetables a day when they should be having five to nine servings,” she said. “When students get involved in edible gardens, they really find a new love for eating fruits and veggies because if they grow it, they’ll eat it.”

The Edible School Gardens Program is open to all K-12 schools, both public and private, in California and Arizona.

Eighteen schools in Los Angeles County and four in Orange County received grants, including Wilshire Crest Elementary, Topanga Elementary Charter School, Bell Gardens High School and Beckman High School.

— City News Service