Q: Tell us about Ag Education at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle!
A: Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has an educational program for gardeners at any stage of their journey! From our youth programs like Growing School Gardens and Sprout Scouts, to our adult programs like Seed to Supper and Growing Garden Classrooms, we’re feeding our neighbors, teaching self-sufficiency, growing healthy foods, and cultivating innovative approaches to end hunger. Folks can check out all six of our agricultural education programs on our website: https://www.foodshuttle.org/agriculture-education
Q: Why is Farm to School exciting for the Food Shuttle?
A: Farm to School education is crucial in food access. Through F2S education, we can build school community gardens and teach families not only where food comes from, but how to grow it! When we increase edible education spaces at schools, we’re increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables within that school. A school garden might not be able to feed an entire school, but it can feed the curiosity of a parent, teacher, or student and cultivate a passion for growing food. Many of the school members we serve have taken what they learn in our school programs back home to start their own gardens!
Q: How do you connect school gardens with classroom curriculum?
A: The Growing School Gardens (GSG) program works with select teams at each school to coordinate student and staff engagement in hands-on garden lesson training. The GSG curriculum integrates NC education standards that students are learning in the classroom with seasonally relevant gardening tasks that support the garden. Each month, grade levels are tasked with different activities in their gardens that incorporate plant, animal, or environmental themes. Students are learning about more than just growing food; they are utilizing what they are already learning in the classroom and creating systems that work together to make a garden thrive!
Q: What does collaboration look like between communities and school gardens, and can people get involved with their local school garden?
A: Forming a garden team is a wonderful place to start! Recruiting any teachers, staff members, parents and guardians, or community members that are interested in being a champion for the garden is crucial to long-term care in a growing space. Garden teams can meet outside of school hours to help care for the garden and during summer months to help keep the space thriving year-round. The more folks involved, the more folks there are to enjoy the bountiful harvests! The Growing School Gardens program has hosted volunteer opportunities where community members can come out and engage in the garden by helping with planting, culling, and general garden maintenance. Volunteers also have a chance to see what projects are going on in the garden and learn about how they connect with what the students are learning in the classroom.