In the spring of 2018, the Davie County Future Farmers of America (FFA) received a grant from the Foundation’s S.U.R.F. Board to build a small raised bed garden for vegetables at the Family Promise Day Center. This summer, the garden produced delicious vegetables and enabled participants in their program to teach their children to cook healthy meals!
Next, the Davie County FFA requested a Community Grant to build a raised bed Community Garden at Davie County High School. With Healthy Davie funds, this project was set in place to benefit students and the community at large. Students also wanted their Community Garden to help spread awareness and play a part in alleviating food insecurity.
Alongside Mr. Ledbetter, the teacher sponsor of FFA, students set out to learn how to properly build and sustain a community garden. They studied the construction and irrigation of the garden, soil composition, planting, harvesting, growing seasons, composting, and much more. During the school’s Smart Lunch Program, students familiarized themselves with the proper safety equipment and worked together to complete the garden.
Since its construction in the spring of 2019, Davie High FFA’s Community Garden has produced over 400 pounds of produce. This abundance of produce is regularly distributed to students, staff, Hunger Fighters, and A Storehouse for Jesus. Some of the food is used by the Food Sciences department to teach culinary skills and promote healthy eating choices. The Science Club and Science teachers regularly use the Community Garden to conduct experiments and learning exercises. In addition to growing food and providing hands-on learning, the garden was also aesthetically pleasing as sunflowers were planted for the summer!
