St. Joseph’s Home for Children’s goal is to help the students (who are also residents at their school) plan, plant, tend, harvest and eat the produce from their on-site garden as part of a spring/summer/fall “garden-to-table” project. Working with Minneapolis Public Schools the, main desire is to foster healthy food choices and have students invest in life-long learning by trying fresh produce they have grown themselves. The garden space is approximately 1/10 of an acre which was overgrown with weeds and needed to be reclaimed, weeded, tilled, fertilized, and composted. They have planted a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that when harvested were brought to the kitchen to be consumed by the students. During the school year, staff and students regularly care for the garden as an enrichment program offered through the school and residential/shelter programming. Through the partnership between St. Joe’s and Minneapolis Public Schools, they help every child uncover his or her inner strengths, gain stability, build resiliency and create a more positive future. They have found that the garden helps enhance these efforts by providing a therapeutic learning environment for students.

For more information contact konni.welk@mpls.k12.mn.us.