KA garden project gaining momentum
YVOC, Evergreen Foundation and Hylcan Foundation lend support
As the Knowlton Academy Greenhouse and Garden project, a farm to table program, moves forward with its plan, it is gaining momentum.
Unforeseen expenses have pushed the budget to over $80,000 to get infrastructure, human resources, and activities into place. Once the infrastructure is installed the annual budget will dramatically drop but for this first year, it is a challenge. That’s why the committee is reaching out for help through grants available and fundraising activities. Already the school has received support from TBL as well as the MRC Brome-missisquoi. It has also received a small stipend through Jeunes en movement to pay an honorarium for a coordinator.
Thanks to a grant from the Evergreen Foundation, volunteers had enough material to be able to build 13 raised gardens for the children to plant. The beds are part of the overall plan that aims to teach children about sustainable living while cooperating and collaborating with the community. While the organizing committee is amassing funds students at Knowlton Academy have been able to dig into the dirt to plant their seedlings that they started in the classrooms, along with more seeds. They hauled earth to fill the boxes, prepared climbing stands for peas and beans, and carefully transplanted their precious little plants. Then they gleefully boasted their hard work by waving their black hands. And what could be better at the end of their tasks than home-made Freezies offered by mom and treasurer of the organizing committee, Stephanie Marks.
One had to be there to feel the positive energy of the students. Buddy planting was the order of Thursday afternoon
last week when older students at Knowlton Academy helped younger students with planting the long-awaited raised gardens. In the midst of the excitement around planting, Ginette Couture, president of the Yamaska Valley Optimist Club, had slipped away from YVO garage sale preparations to literally pay the students a visit. Couture brought a welcome cheque to be applied to the general needs of the project.
While the YVO is widely known for its role in raising funds for treatment and prevention of women’s cancers at the BMP Hospital, the group strives to support youth activities. This year the club generously included the Knowlton Academy Greenhouse and Garden Project to its repertoire.
The Evergreen Foundation is an internationally recognized charity that is all about community and school greening projects. It too, aims to support projects that are collaborative, innovative, and
It was a joyful scene. With last Thursday’s nasty weather subsiding in the afternoon contractors were able to install the deer-fencing concurrent to students of Knowlton-academy eagerly working in the school’s new raised gardens. accountable while applying a systems approach “between people and place and the recognition that environmental issues are part of interdependent, complex social and economic systems.” Evergreen sees the value of “engaging diverse audiences in ways that are playful, optimistic, and empowering to accelerate strategies for change. It supports projects that serve their communities with time and resources while delivering programs of the highest quality. The Knowlton Academy Greenhouse and Garden Committee is honoured to have its project considered as a high quality delivery program, that hopefully will set the pace for other schools and their communities to foster.
Meanwhile, as chef Jennifer Muir continues to prepare Tastes of the Season, she sent a wide thank-you to all those who supplied rhubarb last week. Seeing the reaction of all who contributed, Muir added that this kind of “gathering” of produce could be extended to other veggies and fruit, and farm produce. In a plea to find a second-hand freezer for the cafeteria so that the cooks would have fresh frozen produce to work with for children’s lunches, the director of the Hylcan Foundation jumped in with a donation to specifically equip the school with a new freezer. As well, a member of the community offered a second hand freezer. According to Muir, there is room for both and she says, “Perhaps we will eventually lower the cost of the hot lunches for the students.” Another goal within this project that is clearly engaging the entire community.