Partnership brings produce garden to The Sanibel School

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. - EntSun -- The Sanibel School became the latest public school in Southwest Florida to feature a produce garden on campus through a partnership between The School District of Lee County, Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation and Harry Chapin Food Bank.

On Feb. 21, more than a dozen community volunteers joined students and staff at The Sanibel School to build hydroponic towers and raised garden beds with trellises to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Students then mixed soil and compost before planting seeds that will soon sprout into lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, carrots, onions and other vegetables. After it's harvested, produce will be inspected, cleaned and served in the school cafeteria.

"The farm-to-table movement helps make a connection between local growers and local consumers, and having a garden right on campus certainly drives home a concept for students who typically don't see the process of how food makes its way to the lunchroom," said Richard LeBer, president and CEO of Harry Chapin Food Bank.

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"Harry Chapin Food Bank is so grateful for the Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation to generously support this garden here at The Sanibel School so that children will understand where their food comes from and be part of the growing process," added Ann Prifrel, the nonprofit's director of development.

The garden build project was another initiative through The School District of Lee County's Healthy Living Collaboration, an alliance focused on improving the health and wellbeing of students while addressing food insecurity for families in Southwest Florida. The collaboration promotes healthy minds and bodies by linking multisensory, cross-curricular academics with school gardens, cafeteria menus, nutrition classes, mental health education, industry certifications, college and career readiness programs, and community outreach.

The Sanibel School's produce garden serves as a mini-farm that will be integrated within the school's environmental education curriculum.

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"We have a lot that we're doing this year with sustainability," said The Sanibel School Principal Jennifer Lusk. "We want students to know that they can make an impact, no matter how small the space is."

The Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation supported the garden build project with a $50,000 grant in partnership with Harry Chapin Food Bank. The Foundation, which supports nonprofits that positively impact the lives of people living or working on Sanibel and Captiva, funded The Sanibel School garden build after identifying the project as an area of great need for residents of the island community.

"Our hope is that the children who are here today will learn how to plant a garden, care for a garden and sustain themselves throughout their lifetime," said Foundation President Lisa Schmidlin.