A seed may be the tiniest tool used in the fight against poverty, but for two Gillett women, a seed represents the start of something big.
Michele DeBauch and Sara Peterson are spearheading a project to develop a school/community garden behind Gillett Elementary School and teach children how to grow, preserve and love the fresh produce they harvest.
“Our ultimate goal is to teach these students a way to sustain themselves,” Peterson said. “To get good produce, they can grow it themselves, and they can preserve it so it lasts them all year round.”
To help achieve this goal, they secured grants of more than $75,000, most recently a $51,884 gift from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership, for their project, Seeds to Service.
“I think that’s one of the things that helped get the grant, that we are addressing the food security issue in the area,” said John Pinkart, Nutrition Education Program coordinator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Pinkart acts as a consultant for the project, relying on his experience with the school/community garden located behind Oconto Elementary School, the resources of UW-Extension and his work with the Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program, which provides monthly lessons to elementary school students in Gillett, Suring and Oconto.
Healthy eating is one lesson the kids will learn from tilling in the new garden, he said.
“Giving kids first-hand exposure to watching fruits and vegetables grow is one of the best ways to encourage them to eat healthier,” he said. Kids are more likely to try a new food if it’s something they’ve planted and watch, he said.
Nutrition will be one aspect of a series of after-school classes offered this fall in Gillett for students in third through sixth grade. The class list already includes 10-12 students interested in the course, and the maximum number of students participating the first year will be 20.
In the spring of 2014, students will break ground on a school garden and attend six weeks of summer school classes to work in the garden and learn about gardening, nutrition and preserving the produce they harvest. This spring, the school district received a $20,000 grant from the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board to support these programs.
The Basic Needs grant offers funding over three years, with $25,484 for the first year and a three-year total of $51,884. The Basic Needs Giving Partnership is a collaboration between the U.S. Venture Open Fund for Basic Needs, the J.J. Keller Foundation Inc., the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation.
This grant will provide funding for a watering system, fencing, excavating and other needs as the garden is developed.
“This will help us to be that much more successful,” DeBauch said.
Pinkart said the three-year grant will improve the garden’s chance of long-term success. Community involvement will also be important to its longevity, beginning with the creation of the garden plot.
“We’re going to need some equipment and manpower to do that. That’s one of the things we’re hoping to find,” Pinkart said.
Others who are interested are invited to become a part of the team. Although the initial program involves students, the garden will eventually be open to all residents.
“We don’t have a concrete plan yet, but we’re hoping to introduce it to the public in 2015,” DeBauch said.
Those interested in helping may attend an information meeting Monday night at the Gillett Library.
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