Five Surrey schools receive Farm to School BC grants

Five schools from across the district have been awarded grants from Farm to School BC to provide sustainable, local and healthy food for students through hands-on learning opportunities.

The Lee School program by Education Services School is one of five Surrey Schools recipients of grants from Farm to School BC.

Cindrich Elementary, Katzie Elementary, Fleetwood Park Secondary, Semiahmoo Secondary and Education Services School are among this year’s 44 recipients of grants valued between $1,000 and $3,000 to support projects such as school community gardens to help students develop food literacy while strengthening the local food system. Farm to School BC is a program of the Public Health Association of BC and is supported by the provincial government.

“Providing an outdoor learning experience enables a holistic, safe, supportive learning environment that will help students to gain hands-on growing skills that complement well with our cooking programs to better equip our students with employability,” said Jeff Randhawa, coordinator of community outreach with Education Services.

For the Education Services School, the grant will continue to support their garden outside of the district’s Lee School program, which offers individualized programming for vulnerable secondary students. The school has purchased an additional four planter boxes and food preservation supplies to teach students how to access healthy local foods, as well as different ways to preserve food, including some of the Indigenous, and traditional ways including, canning, drying, freezing, fermenting, and smoking.

The school is also working with its Indigenous youth care worker and an Indigenous helping teacher to teach about medicine and native plants, with the learning experience rooted in the teachings and knowledge of local Indigenous peoples.

Cindrich’s school garden committee, made up of dedicated staff members, is spearheading the creation of a vibrant school garden, with five planter boxes that they’re preparing to establish following spring break. Their goal is to sow the first seedlings, which they anticipate harvesting in June.

Fleetwood Park has an active outdoor garden that will benefit from the latest grant. The school has received grants from Farm to School BC in the past for a drip watering system and wintering hoop houses.

Congratulations to our five schools and big thanks to Farm to School BC!