School Gardens in My Community!!!

I am writing to tell you about a school garden & greenhouse project in my home town of East Hampton, NY called "Bonac Botanicals." With the Principal's vision and the School Boards permission, Teachers, Parents, Students and Community Volunteers have partnered to create an outdoor classroom at our schools. One of the purposes of the garden and greenhouse project is connecting students to the earth and where their food comes from. Children today are losing touch with the natural world and reconnecting them to the earth will help them value nature and this beautiful planet.

In addition to educational purposes, the food grown will be used in the school cafeteria and the gardens will be a community resource as well. Children today are exposed to more chemical laden processed foods than ever before. According to the Center for Disease Control, childhood obesity has almost tripled since 1980 with 12.5 million children between the ages of 2 and 19 obese and at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Evidence shows children will eat what they grow and a child's palate is ever changing. This I know from personal experience and the earlier children are introduced to fresh grown vegetables the more likely they will acquire a taste for them.

The garden & greenhouse project has been in the planning stages for over a year and I am excited to tell you that ground breaking will begin in the spring of 2012 for raised beds. In the meantime a cold frame is in the works. Students in the science department are growing winter crops and the technology students are building a 4' by 16' cold frame to house these delicious greens. As a Nutrition Educator and gardener this project is close to my heart. The children are the future of our planet so we can't let them lose touch with it or let them lose the ability to grow their own food.

Please consider a $10.00 donation.
Make checks payable to "Project Most", designated in the memo section for "Bonac Botanicals" and mail to Rob Schack at East Hampton High School, 2 Long Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937. or make a donation on Project Most's website and dedicate your donation to "Bonac Botanicals" there. www.projectmost.com. Project Most is our non-profit after school program for elementary children in our community and is a leader in school gardens. Incorporating garden lessons into their after school programs and helping children learn about growing and tasting foods they grow.


Many thanks
Maria