Western Growers Foundation awarded 50 Arizona K-12 schools with $75,000 in grant money to create and sustain their own edible fruit and vegetable
The Foundation's mission is to plant and sustain a fruit and vegetable garden in every willing Arizona and California school. Edible school gardens give children the opportunity to learn where their food comes from and the importance of good nutrition. The program is an important educational tool that promotes healthy choices and good nutrition to our schoolchildren in Arizona and California.
"Something we're seeing more and more is how involved parents are," said Paula Olson, vice president of marketing at Western Growers. "Parents have told me that their children now ask for fruits and vegetables to be served. It's really great when the entire family is influenced by what the children grow at school."
The Edible School Gardens Program is open to all K-12 schools, both public and private, in California and Arizona. Western Growers Foundation is expecting a new round of grants to be announced by the end of this year. "If schools are interested in participating, we encourage them to watch the Foundation's Collective School Garden Network website csgn.org for the announcement," Olson added.
For a video clip of what students, teachers, and parents are saying about school gardens, visit csgn.org/arizona.
For a list of schools who received the grants, see below, or go to csgn.org/news/arizona-school-garden-grant-winners-announced. Interested parties can donate to the Foundation via csgn.org/donate.
Arizona School Garden Grant Recipients
Buckeye
Rainbow Valley Elementary
Bullhead City
Fox Creek Junior High School
Casa Grande
Cholla Elementary School
Chandler
Chandler High
Chandler Traditional Academy
Douglas
Douglas High School
Flagstaff
Ponderosa High School
Flagstaff Junior Academy- Middle School
Manuel DeMiguel Elementary School
Sechrist Elementary School
Fort Mohave
Academy of Building Industries High School
Gilbert
Highland High School
Glendale
Desert Garden Elementary
St. Louis the King Catholic School
William Jack Elementary School
Goodyear
Desert Star School
Wildflower School
Holbrook
Indian Wells Elementary School
Laveen
Vista del Sur Traditional School
Mammoth
Mammoth Elementary
Mesa
Johnson Elementary School
Madison Elementary School
Sequoia Charter School
Morristown
Morristown Elementary
Nogales
Lourdes Catholic School
Nogales High School
Phoenix
Faith North Montessori
Horseshoe Trails Elementary
Champion Schools
Ingleside Middle School
Maryland Elementary School
Sweetwater Community School
Western School of Science and Technology
Whispering Wind Academy
William T. Machan Elementary School
Pinon
Black Mesa Community School
Prescott
Mountain Institute JTED
Rio Rico
Rio Rico High
Somerton
Orange Grove Elementary School
Tempe
Broadmor Elementary
Tucson
Borton Primary Magnet School
Hollinger School
Agua Caliente Elementary School
Harold Steele Elementary
Holladay Magnet Elementary
Summit View Elementary
Toltecalli High School
Whiteriver
Whiteriver Elementary School
Williams
Heritage Elementary School
Yuma
Fourth Ave Junior High School
Source: Western Growers Association, wga.com
