Harris Middle School in Shelbyville is planning a community garden that will serve as both a learning space and a source of fresh vegetables for families needing food assistance.
A $3,000 Bridge Bedford teacher grant will help teachers Matthew Forman, Jamie Leonard, Sarah Stallings and Meghan Bailey establish the project, Bedford County Schools announced Oct. 21.
The funding will purchase construction materials, including cedar boards, fencing, framing, hardware and gate locks. Raised beds will give students a place to study plant science, photosynthesis and the nitrogen cycle. At least 12 classrooms are expected to use the garden for hands-on learning and research.
Produce will go to Harris Middle families needing additional support. Longer-term possibilities include a student-supported farmers market and donations of surplus vegetables to local food banks. Those ideas remain future possibilities, not announced programs already operating.
The garden award is part of $25,278 in Bridge Bedford grants awarded Oct. 15 to support 20 projects across 10 Bedford County schools. The district says the grants were funded through the previous year’s CC5K.
Sources: Bedford County Schools’ October 21 announcement; Harris Middle School.
Original illustration for 931Go; not a photograph or rendering of the planned Harris Middle School garden.
