The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
$100K grant will help build community gardens
MIDDLETOWN — Furthering its mission to be a leader in connecting horticulture to better health outcomes, the Community Health Center has received $100,000 to create therapeutic community gardens at three school-based health centers in Connecticut.
The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration according to a news release.
The organization will partner with Joseph Melillo Middle School of East Haven, John Berry Elementary School in Meriden and Pulaski Middle School of New Britain to develop the gardens with the intent of creating access to affordable, sustainable sources of food, combating obesity, and promoting healthy living through gardening, according to the release.
Students and their families will also participate in therapy sessions in the garden and receive education about healthy food choices.
“The HRSA award reinforces our commitment to promoting better health and a healthier planet through innovations connecting health care and horticulture,” Mark Masselli, CEO and founder, said in a prepared statement.
The health center’s commitment to gardens as a pathway to public health began more than 25 years ago, as noted in in the January/February edition of Horticulture, featuring its rooftop garden at its clinical headquarters in Middletown. This state-of-the art garden was designed to create green space in an urban environment, and help mitigate the effects of climate change.
“We look forward to engaging with the students and their families through this school-based initiative, which we hope will serve as a model for other schools throughout the state,” Masselli said.