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NEWS
Coalition gets grant for afterschool gardening program
HUNTINGTON — The Huntington Area Revitalization Coalition, in partnership with Huntington Community Gardens, was awarded $2,000 to undertake a new afterschool gardening program educating low income youth to grow, prepare and eat fresh produce.
Through a partnership with the WVSU Agriculture Extension Service, Cabell County Master Gardeners and the Huntington Community Gardens, this course will be available this spring for youth attending the A.D. Lewis afterschool and summer programs.
Following the Junior Master Gardeners (www.jmgkids.us) curriculum, students will learn hands-on about topics such as nutrition, basic gardening, biology, environmental sciences and culinary arts. By working in cooperation with the "Kids in the Kitchen" program through the Junior League of Huntington, students will learn how to make healthy dishes out of their harvest.
Funding for this project was made possible by the Foundation for the Tri-State Community whose mission is to improve the quality of life in Huntington by raising, encouraging, administering and distributing gifts for charitable, cultural, educational and scientific purposes.
The foundation seeks to respond to a wide variety of needs in the community by distributing grants from its 21st Century Endowment fund. Eve Marcum-Atkinson, Sandy Martin and Mary Whitten-Wiseman crafted the grant.
Huntington Community Gardens is a collection of volunteers working together with area residents, in cooperation with local organizations, businesses and government, to transform derelict or vacant lots into community gardens in Huntington.
Since its inception in February 2009, Huntington Community Gardens has created six successful projects in partnership with Home Depot of Barboursville, Rose Hill Nurseries, Lavallette Nursery, the City of Huntington’s Weed and Seed program, the Huntington Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity.
The group has received more than $15,000 in donations, both physical and monetary, in addition to hundreds of hours of volunteer time, advisory support and pro bono professional services.
Go online at www.huntingtoncommunitygardens.com for more information.
