CCSD school gardens to feed families in need
The fruits and vegetables grown from approximately 180 Clark County School District (CCSD) gardens will be used by local restaurants to make meals to be delivered through the non-profit Delivering with Dignity. With CCSD campuses closed, the annual Green Our Planet farmer’s market that was scheduled to take place on Earth Day was canceled. But the produce grown by CCSD students will not go to waste.
“Our partnership with Green Our Planet has been great for our students,” said CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara “The gardens have provided a great educational environment and it will be a true farm to table experience as their hard work will help feed numerous families in our community.”
Along with CCSD and Green Our Planet, the collaboration includes the Delivery with Dignity, a program co-founded by Punam Mathur, executive director of the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation; Julie Murray, chair of the Moonridge Foundation; and renowned restaurateur Elizabeth Blau, in partnership with Clark County Commission Chair Marilyn Kirkpatrick and United Way of Southern Nevada. Launched as an emergency response to the healthcare and economic crisis created by the novel coronavirus, the program delivers high-quality meals made by independently owned restaurants directly to the doorsteps of individuals most in need.
“We are thankful for our farmers who have been working hard to be sure none of the produce goes to waste,” said Ciara Byrne, co-founder and co-CEO of Green Our Planet. “Only a month ago, we were preparing for the nation’s largest farmers market and then one of our biggest concerns became where will all this produce go? So, it only makes sense for the students to give their vegetables to families in need.”
Thousands of vegetables originally intended to be sold by students at the farmers market will be utilized by Honey Salt and other restaurants to prepare 800 meals for delivery.
“Delivering with Dignity has been built on community partnerships…bringing restaurants, nonprofits, and now the Clark County School District and Green Our Planet, all together to help those most in need,” said Delivering with Dignity co-founder and owner of Honey Salt restaurant Elizabeth Blau. “Honey Salt is thrilled to be able to use this incredible local produce to ensure Delivering with Dignity program recipients and their families are getting nutritious, well-balanced meals. Grown by our local students, I think it is wonderful that the produce will now be used for meals that help our community.”
CCSD students planted chard, radish, beets and other types of seeds in January. The students had no idea that their school gardens would ultimately help their community in such a big way.
“We’re grateful for this partnership with the CCSD and want to thank the students for donating their food to so many in need,” said Byrne.
For more information about CCSD, visit ccsd.net.
For more information about Green Our Planet, visit greenourplanet.org.
For more information about the Delivery with Dignity Program, visit www.DeliveringwithDignityLV.