Veransa donated the organic compost needed to fill ten garden beds at Just elementary school in Tampa, Florida. The donation was made through SEEDFolKids After School Garden Program, a free community-based leadership program for under-privileged kids where students themselves create sustainable “school gardens” and grow their own food. The non-profit works through community partnerships to help young students, their parents, and school staff “make the shift” towards sustainable living principles.
Participants gain a new, more community-focused, entrepreneurial perspective as leaders, as “force multipliers,” prepared to transform not only their schools and neighborhoods, but their own lives as well. The program is run by a non-profit called What We Could Be Exchange.
“Our nonprofit has been growing vegetable gardens for 6 years now. The sand at Just elementary has been so difficult. The school tried many avenues and were giving up hope. Veransa listened to our challenge and took the time to get photos and determine what was needed. They understood how difficult access was. The garden is surrounded by 6-foot-high fence, and stormwater ponds. Veransa crafted a wonderful solution, and SeedfolKids are sooo appreciative. Our third graders love to use shovels. They enjoyed shoveling the compost into buckets and used our wheel barrels to get the material to the planting beds. Our plants will thrive thanks to Veransa’s donation. Students take home or eat on site everything they grow. They live in a food desert. This is a true blessing,” said Program Director, Diana Kyle.
Special thanks to Bryan Grapple for donating his grapple truck services as well. When good people come together with good intentions, wonderful projects like these can become a reality.
