Our History
In 2007, some tireless, hardworking garden educators met at a Vietnamese restaurant to address the problems, needs and concerns that schools have in establishing and maintaining school garden programs in West Contra Costa School District. We needed more staff, more supplies, more money and a bigger team to support our work. Together, we planted the seed of the school garden movement in our community and it continues to grow.
Who We Are
Today, we are a network of over 6,000 people, comprised of teachers, community members, students, and school administrators who are working together to make school garden programs more successful and sustainable. Since our inception, DIGS has supported gardens in over 35 schools, offered training and coaching to over 300 teachers a year, grown 5000 plant starts a year in our own DIGS greenhouse and shared innovative curriculum that incorporates math, science, language arts and art with our outdoor oriented activities.
We sow seeds of hope and make our schools beautiful places to connect with nature in a school district where students face economic, equity, and health challenges. We build our community's resilience by cultivating wellness, academic achievement, and sustainable practices. Our gardens reflect and celebrate the diversity of our communities and promote inclusivity.
Our Supporters
The secret to our success is growing strong partnerships with funders, local businesses and organizations. The following funders have played a key leadership role in the development of West County DIGS: McGuire and Hester, Kaiser Permanente, Cliff Bar Family Foundation, Dean Witter, Whole Kids Foundation, The Chamberlin Family Foundation, Miranda Lux Foundation, West Contra Costa Unified School District, County Supervisor John Gioia Fund, PTAs, Common Vision, Growing Together and generous individuals. In past years, the West Contra Costa Unified School District was able to support our professional development workshop series, to provide small grants to several schools and Grounds staff provided a limited amount of maintenance help. But now we are facing some lean years ahead. WCCUSD is facing severe budget cuts due to a large deficit and future economic uncertainty and funders are faced with many pandemic crisis needs. We will continue to collaborate with PTA’s, service clubs, businesses, community leaders and individual donors to maximize resources for school gardens.
Now more than ever, we need school gardens for children to grow the emotional, social and ecological intelligence that is needed to effectively address the crises that they are inheriting.
Change
We are facing an unprecedented global health, economic, environmental and social crisis requiring an unprecedented response. We do not have all the answers but we want to be part of the team that puts together our passion, creativity and intelligence to create a better and more sustainable future. Young people will play a vital role in creating this design. All of us are required to rethink the way we communicate, interact and do business. We are working with our partners to build a plan and respond to the different needs that are arising. Through this pandemic, we have our increased efforts to build our social media presence and connected more effectively online with teachers and families. We are developing instructional videos, recipes, and activities to share. With the school closure, we have offered plants to parents who are planting vegetables at home with their children. We are expanding our thinking about how to connect children with nature and healthy eating.
We are proud to be a project of Earth Island Institute
WC DIGS has benefitted from the fiscal sponsorship of Earth Island Institute (EII). While under their wing and 501(c)(3) status, DIGS has been able to receive tax-exempt donations from funders. Because of the EII top charity ratings, donors feel confident that their funds are secure and that our organization meets the highest standards. We have access to a dedicated project support team and skills training as well as administrative staff to handle finance, legal, tax and payroll duties. But best of all is being a part of the organizational home to more than 200 grassroots environmental action projects worldwide, where inspired leaders and environmental activists make positive changes to our increasingly fragile planet.
In 2007, some tireless, hardworking garden educators met at a Vietnamese restaurant to address the problems, needs and concerns that schools have in establishing and maintaining school garden programs in West Contra Costa School District. We needed more staff, more supplies, more money and a bigger team to support our work. Together, we planted the seed of the school garden movement in our community and it continues to grow.
Who We Are
Today, we are a network of over 6,000 people, comprised of teachers, community members, students, and school administrators who are working together to make school garden programs more successful and sustainable. Since our inception, DIGS has supported gardens in over 35 schools, offered training and coaching to over 300 teachers a year, grown 5000 plant starts a year in our own DIGS greenhouse and shared innovative curriculum that incorporates math, science, language arts and art with our outdoor oriented activities.
We sow seeds of hope and make our schools beautiful places to connect with nature in a school district where students face economic, equity, and health challenges. We build our community's resilience by cultivating wellness, academic achievement, and sustainable practices. Our gardens reflect and celebrate the diversity of our communities and promote inclusivity.
Our Supporters
The secret to our success is growing strong partnerships with funders, local businesses and organizations. The following funders have played a key leadership role in the development of West County DIGS: McGuire and Hester, Kaiser Permanente, Cliff Bar Family Foundation, Dean Witter, Whole Kids Foundation, The Chamberlin Family Foundation, Miranda Lux Foundation, West Contra Costa Unified School District, County Supervisor John Gioia Fund, PTAs, Common Vision, Growing Together and generous individuals. In past years, the West Contra Costa Unified School District was able to support our professional development workshop series, to provide small grants to several schools and Grounds staff provided a limited amount of maintenance help. But now we are facing some lean years ahead. WCCUSD is facing severe budget cuts due to a large deficit and future economic uncertainty and funders are faced with many pandemic crisis needs. We will continue to collaborate with PTA’s, service clubs, businesses, community leaders and individual donors to maximize resources for school gardens.
Now more than ever, we need school gardens for children to grow the emotional, social and ecological intelligence that is needed to effectively address the crises that they are inheriting.
Change
We are facing an unprecedented global health, economic, environmental and social crisis requiring an unprecedented response. We do not have all the answers but we want to be part of the team that puts together our passion, creativity and intelligence to create a better and more sustainable future. Young people will play a vital role in creating this design. All of us are required to rethink the way we communicate, interact and do business. We are working with our partners to build a plan and respond to the different needs that are arising. Through this pandemic, we have our increased efforts to build our social media presence and connected more effectively online with teachers and families. We are developing instructional videos, recipes, and activities to share. With the school closure, we have offered plants to parents who are planting vegetables at home with their children. We are expanding our thinking about how to connect children with nature and healthy eating.
We are proud to be a project of Earth Island Institute
WC DIGS has benefitted from the fiscal sponsorship of Earth Island Institute (EII). While under their wing and 501(c)(3) status, DIGS has been able to receive tax-exempt donations from funders. Because of the EII top charity ratings, donors feel confident that their funds are secure and that our organization meets the highest standards. We have access to a dedicated project support team and skills training as well as administrative staff to handle finance, legal, tax and payroll duties. But best of all is being a part of the organizational home to more than 200 grassroots environmental action projects worldwide, where inspired leaders and environmental activists make positive changes to our increasingly fragile planet.
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WC DIGS is a project of Earth Island Institute |
