Academy @ Shawnee

Our school, grades 6-12, is located in a USDA certified food desert in a blighted neighborhood. There is only one grocery store, and it's miles away from a majority of our families. Our school population is high-poverty, made up of almost 90% free and reduced lunch qualifiers. So, besides school lunches, many of our students and their families do not have the opportunity to eat much fresh food and produce, and even if they can get it from the store, it is usually more expensive than the fast food and processed food alternatives. And because of hectic life-styles, expense, and lack of training, few of our students have the opportunity to learn gardening skills. Adding a new garden to our campus will provide access to healthy and inexpensive produce, training to our students and their families about gardening skills, opportunities to strengthen family bonds, bring families to our campus and help them become more involved in their students educations, and add greenspace to an urban area.