National program kicks off with gardens at handful of Portland-area schools
Jennifer Lopez Hernandez (left) and RJ Staley dig for potatoes in the summer garden program at Earl Boyles Elementary School. The nonprofit Growing Gardens is hosting a new Food Corps staff member, an offshoot of Americorps, in their efforts to combat child obesity by promoting healthy foods. CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT / TRIBUNE PHOTO
Steve Law, reports in the Portland Tribune:
Youngsters who get their fingernails dirty by learning to garden are more likely to eat and appreciate fresh vegetables – and less likely to become obese.
That’s the mission of Food Corps, a budding national program taking off in Portland and elsewhere, starting next month.
Much like the Peace Corps and Teach for America, Food Corps aims to harness the energy, idealism and skills of today’s young adults, many of whom are wildly enthusiastic about organic farming and related fields. Participants agree to work for a modest stipend under the federal Americorps program for one year, teaching students in predominantly low-income schools how to grow food, and then arrange to have it served in their school cafeterias.
Growing Gardens, a Portland nonprofit that teaches people how to start gardens in their yards and at schools, will be one of five Oregon groups to pilot the program.
Read more in the Portland Tribune.
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