Foundation commits to Greener Goals outcome

Volunteers dig in to refurbish Annalee Elementary's community garden

What healthful dish are we going to make with all that chard?

That was the question on the minds of educators at Annalee Elementary on Wednesday as volunteers from the L.A. Galaxy Foundation and the Garden School Foundation descended upon campus to help refurbish the school's community garden in Carson.

The project was part of Major League Soccer's Greener Goals initiative and the local professional team's way of participating in MLS' week of service surrounding Earth Day, April 22. Other MLS partner Earth Week endeavors around the U.S. include tree plantings, river bed cleanups, transforming reclaimed wood into furniture and recycling youth soccer equipment.

At the Carson school, volunteers from both nonprofits worked in two shifts to harvest the chard and other vegetables, to weed, to mulch, to plant — and most importantly, according to Annalee Principal Emily Barbee — to increase the capacity of the garden by installing five new raised beds.

“It was a big dream for us,” said Barbee, in her second year as principal of the 220-student K-5 school that is made up of nearly 80% African Americans.

“I didn't imagine it would almost double our capacity to grow vegetables for the community,” Barbee said.

The fresh produce harvested from Annalee's raised beds is used in healthful cooking classes put on by Garden School Foundation. And then, a few times a year, community members are invited to come out to also reap the bounty of a harvest.

GSF, for its part, has been partnering with the Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation

to help at Annalee since 2019, according to its website. The two foundations have transformed part of the Annalee campus into a “thriving outdoor classroom.”

Barbee, in a Wednesday interview, said she's grateful for the partnership as it provides a much better educational offering for Annalee students.

But the day wasn't only about leafy greens. Each student at Annalee also received a gift of a pair of shoes, thanks

PHOTOS BY GIL CASTRO-PETRES ABOVE and BELOW: Volunteers and members of the L.A. Galaxy Foundation help with gardening efforts at Annalee Elementary in Carson on Wednesday as part of a Greener Goals initiative supported by Major League Soccer.