Our History:
Our organization began in 2007 as the Growing West County School Gardens (GWCSG). We formed to address the concerns and needs that educators had in establishing and maintaining school garden programs in West Contra Costa County.
Our Current Status:
We are a network of over 6,000 members, comprised of teachers, community members, students, and school administrators who are working together to make school garden programs more successful and sustainable.
During the 2017/2018 school year, we continued our partnership with the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The district supported our professional development workshop series. The greens crew helped us with maintenance in select gardens. We also worked with a couple of key foundations, and built our individual donor base so that we could fund the new 'Digging Deep' program, continue the Plant to Plate Internship Program as well as our Growing Strong Starts Greenhouse Program. We added a new school to our Mentorship Program. To date, we support 21 school gardens in the West Contra Costa Unified School District.
How Do We Work?
Our organization began in 2007 as the Growing West County School Gardens (GWCSG). We formed to address the concerns and needs that educators had in establishing and maintaining school garden programs in West Contra Costa County.
Our Current Status:
We are a network of over 6,000 members, comprised of teachers, community members, students, and school administrators who are working together to make school garden programs more successful and sustainable.
During the 2017/2018 school year, we continued our partnership with the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The district supported our professional development workshop series. The greens crew helped us with maintenance in select gardens. We also worked with a couple of key foundations, and built our individual donor base so that we could fund the new 'Digging Deep' program, continue the Plant to Plate Internship Program as well as our Growing Strong Starts Greenhouse Program. We added a new school to our Mentorship Program. To date, we support 21 school gardens in the West Contra Costa Unified School District.
How Do We Work?
- This year we have raised over $145,000 from individual donations and foundation grants such as, Kaiser Permanente, The Miranda Lux Foundation, Clif Bar Family Foundation, The Dean Witter Foundation, the office of the Contra Costa County District Supervisors and Recreation and Parks Department and West Contra Costa Unified School District.
- We conduct 5 Professional Development Workshops, teach healthy nutrition to educators, and supply classrooms with vetted garden-based curriculum.
- We support 21 school gardens with a combination of mentoring, supplies, plants and soil.
- Our Greenhouse Program will give away over 5000 plants to 21 different school gardens by the close of the school year.
- Our Mentorship Program currently serves 5 schools in West Contra Costa County.
- Mira Vista Elementary's pilot 'Model School Garden and Nutrition Program' is in it's second year and serves 20 teachers, the full student body of 560 and their families. Mira Vista maintains 2 large gardens and 5 raised beds outside of classroom windows. Infrastructure improvements include a sturdy garden shed, large greenhouse, and an outdoor kitchen.
- We collaborate with PTA’s, service clubs, businesses, community leaders and individual donors to maximize resources for school gardens.
- We routinely update members on the latest in grants, workshops, and networking opportunities through social media, emails and newsletters.
