Harvesting Healthy Youth

Harvesting Healthy Youth is a school gardening and nutrition program offered to third-grade classrooms throughout the county. During the 15-week program, students plant a vegetable garden and participate in a variety of hands-on gardening and nutrition activities. The program engages students with fun and tasty activities, while teaching core learning objectives in math, science, language, and social studies.

Harvesting Healthy Youth continues to grow throughout Gaston County’s third-grade classrooms. Through expertise of Cooperative Extension staff, Master Gardener volunteers, and FoodCorps service member, 820 students from 37 classrooms participated during 2011, which was a the substantial increase from 2010 when 500 students in 15 classrooms participated. During the current spring semester, 25 classrooms in 11 schools are participating in Harvesting Healthy Youth.