Garden project in full bloom
August 13, 2010This is the first year of the Athens County Children Services Garden project and the garden is in full bloom! The project was begun to provide parents and their children in foster care with an opportunity to participate in gardening by growing, harvesting, and preparing delicious food.
In the first year of the garden project, there have been many positive interactions and learning experiences. Families coming to the garden are currently picking beans, green peppers, and tomatoes. They have also been provided recipes which use the produce including salsa, stuffed peppers, tomato soup, and other healthy snacks.
The plan is to continue facilitating these positive experiences by teaching children and families about plant growth, hoping that families may consider a home garden in the future. Using the Visitation Center kitchen, ACCS staff and volunteers hope to teach simple cooking with fresh ingredients which families can then make at home. A compost bin has been purchased, which will reduce waste and provide garden nutrients, helping us to be environmentally friendly. In the fall, we hope to continue bringing in produce by planting crops such as lettuce, spinach, and onions. We are looking forward to continuing this project next year, building on our successes from this first year.
The garden has been a community effort thanks to OSU Master gardeners, OU-COM Community Health Programs Well Child Grant, Athens County Children Services staff and Summer Service Corps volunteers who are donating their resources and time. Volunteers have built the fence, provided manure, plowed the plot. donated garden supplies, and developed curriculum instruction. All of the seeds and plants were donated by local Master Gardeners an Butch Mitchell from Athens County Alternative School. Also, ACCS has recently become a site for Community Food Initiative's Donation Station program. This will provide fresh produce for foster families.
