Back-to-back top prizes for Boys & Girls Club of Chester gardeners
CHESTER » Boys & Girls Club of Chester was awarded first place honors for the second consecutive year at the Delaware County Cooperative Extension Garden Contest. The Boys & Girls Club of Chester Youth Garden is led by the by Delaware County Master Gardeners who were also recognized for their outstanding contributions to the community with a “Search for Excellence Award” in 2016 in the youth category for their “Gardening and Better Nutrition” program at the Boys and Girls Club of Chester.
The award recognized outstanding contribution to the community; significant learning by the participants; and the ability for replication by other county programs.
The Boys & Girls Club of Chester began the program in 2012 with two raised garden beds in the backyard of the club with the goal of teaching gardening skills and encouraging a lifelong love of gardening. With the help of the Master Gardeners and the Chester Upland School District, the
project has expanded to 16 large raised vegetable beds, youth artwork, and more youth participation. The program now works with over 100 youth ages 6-15 in the summer camp, and 15-20 youth in the afterschool program.
Two years ago, four aeroponic garden towers were added indoors so that fresh produce could be grown yearround. BGCC currently grows over 30 different fruits and vegetables as well as nine herbs. Summer campers are exposed to structured lessons on nutrition, and plant and animal science.
Weekly newsletters are provided to parents about the garden, a menu of available vegetables with recipes of dishes that the youth made during the week. BGCC plans to release a recipe book in the spring of 2018.