It’s not uncommon for kids to forget their lunch at home. But when whole classrooms of hungry children in New Brunswick regularly attend school without a proper meal, you have to wonder what your community is doing to help?
That’s why the Conservation Council is pleased to applaud the recent efforts made by Telus employees and community volunteers to help fight child hunger at the Baptist-King Edward School in Saint John by building five planting boxes the school will use to grow various vegetables and herbs for the school’s lunch program.
“The garden will be a great way for children to learn,” said Christine Roy, the principal of the school.
Principle Roy said the garden is the gift that keeps giving. She plans on having it made available for biology lessons, and so children can learn how to grow nutritious food themselves.
As we see community gardens pop-up around New Brunswick, let’s not forget that connecting our children and poverty stricken communities with the resources and knowledge to grow their own food can mean the difference between an empty stomach and a full life.
We at the Conservation Council encourage community projects like this one. Programs that strive to solve childhood hunger by using practical gardening solutions also offer children the chance to learn indispensable gardening skills, and enrich their education with the outdoors.
In fact, the Conservation Council also offers it’s own Learning Outside program to help New Brunswick’s children reconnect with nature. Our wonderful Learning Outside Coordinator, Nadine Ives, offers creative ways to integrate nature into the teaching of all subjects through the development of outdoor learning spaces and provision of teacher training opportunities.
To learn about exciting projects at schools throughout New Brunswick and what you can do at your school and how to go about it, visit the Learning Outside website.