It definitely takes a village to manage the Project Learning Garden schools around metro-Atlanta! This summer, CPF was once again the recipient of generous support from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation / Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation to support our summer garden management program.
Around metro-Atlanta, 58 elementary and middle schools had their Project Learning Garden sites watered, weeded, tended and harvested from May 15th – August 15th. During that time, more than 1,000 lbs of fruits and vegetables were harvested and given to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and school community groups – that’s over 4,000 servings of healthy food!
When students returned to their schools in the Fall, they were greeted by beds of sweet potatoes, corn, black eyed peas, watermelons, winter squash and other fall harvest produce that they will eat as part of their standards-based Learning Garden lessons. And there were garden beds cleared and ready for them to plant winter crops like lettuce, broccoli, kale, chard and onions!
This summer’s Garden Management Interns came from Habesha Gardens, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and graduates of the Nature Conservancy’s High School LEAF program. It was an amazing team and a VERY fruitful summer!