Santa Fe Public Schools shared on Aug. 30 that The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation has declared its plan to grant 24 schools nationwide with a new or rejuvenated learning garden through the "24 Gardens in 24 Hours in 24 Communities" competition, according to a press release. Within Santa Fe, Kearny Elementary is set to receive a garden, and the initiative will be facilitated by Cooking with Kids.
Approximately 500 Sprouts team members nationwide will collaborate to construct 24 school gardens in a 24-hour span on Sept. 23. Beyond providing financial support for these garden spaces, the Foundation will also allocate resources to train educators in each school on integrating the gardens into their teaching methods across various grade levels.
“Sprouts is committed to providing children with hands-on educational experiences that shape how they think about food. We believe that our Foundation’s efforts to make these connections will play a pivotal role for children to develop an understanding of the importance of healthy eating,” said Nick Konat, president and chief operating officer of Sprouts. “We are also very excited for our team members to give back to their local communities on Sept. 23 as we build these learning gardens in 24 hours.”
Through a partnership with KidsGardening, a national nonprofit specializing in this field, all 24 schools will join a learning community where garden supervisors will receive continuous technical guidance and mentoring throughout the school year.
“Sprouts is a true partner who listens and understands what it takes to operate a successful garden program – and investing in teacher training and compensation for educators operating their garden spaces is the key ingredient to building effective and sustainable school garden programs,” said Em Shipman, executive director of KidsGardening.