$10,000 Grant Allows Santa Barbara School Gardens to Grow

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) —Explore Ecology has a mission to educate the community about the joys of nature, being outside, and taking care of the Earth.
 
A $10,000 dollar community grant is going toward supporting the organization’s school gardens program that serves students across the county.
 
This means students spending more time outside during the school day and discovering everything from the joy of growing food to the importance of composting.
 
“Kids start composting at home. We have many stories of children starting worm beans growing, starting a little garden plot at home using the skills they learned at school,” said Explore Ecology PR Director Jill Cloutier.

With the average American child spending an average of 7.5 hours per day on electronic media, Explore Ecology PR Director Jill Cloutier says their school gardens program comes at a critical time.
 
“I think what really is inspiring is seeing the process right where they take a seed, they put it in the ground and then it's like, something happened, there's a little green sprout. And then as the weeks go on, it's taking care of that little plant and it really gives them a sense of pride that they can grow their own food,” said Cloutier.
 
Cloutier says the program also does a small part to address food insecurity in the county.
 
“We've had many cases where families come to pick up their children and then we have a big table with the produce and then the families can access the organic food grown in the school garden, which is really great,” said Cloutier.
 
Explore Ecology manages 37 school gardens throughout Santa Barbara County.