Celebrating Harvest Day At Vernon Hill School's Freight Farm Program
AprIL 05, 2023
WORCESTER, Mass. - More than a dozen Worcester elementary school students are learning the importance of growing and harvesting their own food.
The 2gether We Eat nonprofit recently received a $265,000 grant to buy a freight farm and operate it at Vernon Hill School. Students celebrated their first harvest of leafy greens Wednesday by sharing the food with family and friends.
2gether We Eat founder Charles Luster said the vegetables are usually sent home with students to help families have access to healthy food.
"The kids are so excited about this program,” Luster said. “They get to grow the food, eat the food, as well as they get to be leaders in their school about farming. We get to build up their self-esteem, we get to build up their courage so that we know we have students that they're going to be able to go to the next level, fifth, sixth grade, whatever grade, and they're going to be educated on farming using hydroponics."
Students plant about 14 different vegetables at a time, like onions, lettuce, cucumbers and carrots. The freight farm can produce two to three tons of food each year.
2gether We Eat is installing a second freight farm at Elm Park School this month.