BRATTLEBORO — This spring, Food Connects and Edible Brattleboro partnered up to run a Food Explorers program at The Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro.
“The group was small but mighty, and Food Connects staff had a lot of fun getting to know the club kids and building stronger relationships with the amazing folks at Edible Brattleboro,” organizers said in a news release.
Late last winter, Food Connects staff gathered with Boys & Girls Club staff to brainstorm ways the two organizations could work together, and the idea for the Food Explorers program began to take shape. Soon, Edible Brattleboro, a local organization that works to address food insecurity by building and caring for help-yourself gardens, also joined in, and Food Explorers was born.
“Thanks to Edible Brattleboro's generous donation, the program was able to build a grow cart, start seeds using said grow cart, and plant them in the help-yourself garden at Turning Point Recovery Center,” organizers wrote. “Food Connects Farm to School manager Sadie Hunter joined the kids seven times between May and June to engage them in food and gardening activities. Participating in a growing cycle this way was very rewarding, and Food Connects hope these plants will be enjoyed by many all summer long.”
Additional program activities involved light and seeds, a science experiment examining starches, and seed starting in many different ways.
Food Connects says it hopes that it can “continue working with these two great programs to bring local, yummy food (and engaging Farm to School learning) to the community.”