Community engagement through the kitchen garden program
While they say it takes a village to raise a child, children are often highly contributing members of their own villages. Especially when they’re involved in the kitchen garden program.
The children and young people at participating Kitchen Garden member schools and services take the program beyond the school gate – whether through fundraisers, working bees or community volunteering. Others go even further – supplying produce to cafes, selling flowers at roadside stalls, or collaborating with local community groups.
MRPS Roadside Honesty Stall
As well as impressive open days to share their kitchen garden with the community, Margaret River Primary School worked with the local men’s shed to build their MRPS Roadside Honesty Stall, which opened in 2020. Surplus produce is deposited for the public on a “take what you need, pay as you can” model, or a barter system – where people can take from the stall and swap it with their own surplus produce. It’s a useful fundraising opportunity, but also a way for students to address food security within their local community.
Find out more about Margaret River Primary School’s honesty stall in the Margaret River Mail.
Tenison Woods College Year 5 students with a flower harvest
Meanwhile, Tenison Woods College in Mount Gambier has partnered with a local café to supply edible flowers for their menu. The school has provided four harvests of edible flowers and herbs to their partner Limestone Coast Café and kitchen garden coordinator Jen McCourt reports that, “chef Manny has been excited to be able to order and plan his garnishes and herb supply ahead of time”. The school has talked about his preferred harvest, which then influences their growing for a tailor-made supply.
They are also looking to extend their supply to other nearby cafés, as the garden comes into full bloom throughout spring and summer, with Jen saying: "the students have loved working on this project together in small groups each week and it has encouraged a perspective of fundraising initiatives within our program". It’s a great fundraising initiative, and a glorious example of connecting a kitchen garden program with the local community.
Students looking over the garden bed, Springvale Rise Primary School
At Springvale Rise Primary School in Melbourne the kitchen garden is considered a “one-stop-shop”. School principal, Debbi Cottier explains: “We consider ourselves a community hub. We see the kitchen garden space as a way to embrace our community – addressing inclusion, and really trying to create a safe place for families who are newly arrived to Australia.”
They offer everything from English language, yoga and computer classes, to playgroup, using food as a way to connect with parents and foster a safe space. “Sharing food is one of the most wonderous ways of connecting. And we’re such a culturally diverse community, we’re treated to some amazing foods among the way.”
Zara Byron working at a catering event
Student entrepreneur Zara Byron at Hastings Secondary College, Port Macquarie, has combined the school’s kitchen garden program with the school’s Aboriginal empowerment program to launch a catering service.
Find out more about Zara and her kitchen garden activities in this story she penned for International Day of the Girl.
Stephanie Alexander with students in the garden at Western Heights College
At one of the Kitchen Garden Program for Secondary Years pilot schools, Western Heights College, the local community enjoys the benefits of the program, with excess produce included in a garden cart in the Community Centre co-located within the school. A huge apple and pear harvest last year didn’t go to waste: “The students were thrilled that everything sold out in the first five minutes, it was really encouraging for them,” said Stacey Marriage, Kitchen Garden Program Coordinator and Technology Leader. Funds raised from these sales were poured back into the program and used to buy seedlings for the garden.
Find out more about the work at Western Heights College in this story on the Shared Table.
Waverley Meadows Preschool remote learning
Even through COVID, communities have shown amazing resilience:
- Murrumbeena Primary School has been sharing their harvest table out the front of the school for families to pick up for online kitchen classes.
- Waverley Meadows Preschool did the same, providing Silverbeet Muffin ingredients for the school community to cook along at home.
- Stanmore Primary School in Sydney’s inner west provided a plethora of activities for their school community to enjoy at an end-of-term garden party, including recycling plastic bags into pretty streamers.
How are you engaging with your community? How have you reached out to the school community to beat the lockdown blues? Tell us how your school or service is taking it to the community, on the Shared Table.
Image at top: Margaret River Primary School's Roadside Honesty Stall, courtesy MRPS
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