Fifty communities nationwide are expanding hands-on nutrition education with $2,500 grants from the American Heart Association's Teaching Gardens® program, helping address healthy eating challenges facing our nation's children and families. Access to healthy foods directly impacts a person's health over their lifetime, but most children are not eating recommended amounts of fruits or vegetables, consuming less than one serving of each per day.[1]
Including these new awards, the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, with support from CAULIPOWER, makers of ready-to-use plant-powered food items, has now funded 150 grants over three years to schools and community gardens nationwide. The financial grants boost garden-based learning, helping enable equitable access to healthy foods and innovating nutrition education nationwide.
Through the Association's Teaching Gardens® program, part of its Teaching Gardens Network, schools and community gardens turn the outdoors into a classroom with an interactive nutrition curriculum to help kids make healthy food choices and build positive, lifelong nutrition habits.
"It's critical that all kids have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and to proper nutrition education regardless of where they live to support growth and create a strong foundation for a healthy life," said Michelle Albert, M.D., MPH, FACC, FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and Admissions Dean for UCSF Medical School. "We had the difficult task of selecting just 50 awardees out of nearly 250 applicants this year. Congratulations to all of the grant recipients and thank you for your commitment to supporting healthy kids by building healthier communities."
According to the Association's Heart Disease and Stroke 2023 Statistical Update, it's estimated that children and teens consume less than 1 serving of fruits or vegetables per day, which puts them at higher risk of cardiovascular risk factors, such as childhood diabetes and high blood pressure. Developing cardiovascular risk factors early in life exponentially increases a child's risk of heart disease and stroke in adulthood.
"These gardens are innovative, outdoor laboratories where kids can learn the benefits of healthy eating," said Gail Becker, Founder of CAULIPOWER and an American Heart Association volunteer. "School and community gardens are essential spaces to cultivate fresh produce and learn about the magic of vegetables. CAULIPOWER couldn't be more proud to have supported this vital health initiative since Day One."
The 2023 grant recipients include:
Alabama
- Jasper - Jasper Junior High School
Arkansas
- Springdale - Northwest Arkansas Food Bank
California
- Eureka - Grow Together Garden Program at Alice Birney Elementary School
- Los Angeles - Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School
- Redwood City - Henry Ford PTA
- Roseville - Ferris Spanger Elementary School
- San Diego - San Diego Met High School Foundation
- San Pedro - Feed and Be Fed
Colorado
- Aurora - Eaglecrest High School
- Castle Rock - Douglas County School District Nutrition Services, Flagstone Elementary
- Salida - Guidestone Colorado
Florida
- Boynton Beach - Congress Middle School
- Homestead - Redland Christian Academy
- Palm Coast - Buddy Taylor Middle School
Georgia
- Atlanta - Soccer in the Streets
Hawaii
- Waipahu - Hawaii Agriculture Research Center
Illinois
- Belleville - Westhaven Elementary School
- Chicago - Oriole Park School
- Palestine - Palestine High School
Kansas
- Wichita - College Hill Elementary School
Massachusetts
- Winthrop - For Kids Only Afterschool Inc.
Maryland
- Baltimore - Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School
Minnesota
- Hopkins - Alice Smith Elementary School
Mississippi
- Jackson - We Will Go
- Natchez - Morgantown Elementary School
North Carolina
- Asheville - Eliada Homes
- Winston Salem - RJ Reynolds High School PTSA
Nebraska
- Omaha - Latino Center of the Midlands
- Omaha - Nelson Mandela Elementary
New Hampshire
- Rochester - William Allen Elementary School
New Jersey
- Little Egg Harbor - Cuisine Demonstration Garden
New York
- Schenectady - Paige Elementary
Ohio
- Kettering - Orchard Park Elementary
Oklahoma
- El Reno - BlueSTEM AgriLearning Center
- Oklahoma City - OKC Beautiful
- Tulsa - Hawthorne Elementary
Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia - Cloud 9 Community Farms
- Rochester - Rochester Area School District
- West Chester - Hillsdale Elementary School Garden Club
- York - York Fresh Food Farms Community Garden
Tennessee
- Chattanooga - Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts
- Cleveland - Stuart Elementary School
- Franklin - Franklin Elementary School
- Nashville - Jere Baxter Middle School
Texas
- Austin - Partners for Education, Agriculture and Sustainability (PEAS)
- Buda - Sunfield Elementary School
- Galveston - Galveston's Own Farmers Market
- Katy - Hutsell Elementary
- Richardson - Math Science Technology Magnet
Virginia
- Roanoke - City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
Grant recipients are encouraged to share ideas and success stories here. Stories may be featured on the Teaching Gardens website or in a Teaching Gardens Network e-newsletter.
