Eat the Colors of the Rainbow
- the New Basic Food Groups
Harrisburg, PA, February 2010
Its deep winter in Central PA in a year where we've seen more snow than we’ve experienced in several decades and yet a small group of area residents are oblivious because they can only think about Spring and the unique garden they plan to create in Dauphin County in the community garden plots available to area residents along Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg.
Our Children's Rainbow Garden is a community garden that will not only provide fresh, local produce to the area residents that participate, but it will also serve as a hands-on educational environment for children and their parents. The project is unique because it is organized by area residents that are inspired to teach children about the health benefits of eating a "rainbow" of colorful and freshly grown local fruits and vegetables every day along with promoting the benefits of composting and local community gardens as an inexpensive and accessible source of healthy foods. The group was inspired to begin planning the garden when they started to look for creative ways to resolve their concerns with the quality and affordability of the food that is available to the average family. During the discussion it became clear that by creating a community garden project, they could go way beyond these goals and also build a caring community, provide much needed education, and also support local non-profits in their efforts to solve local problems.
The organizers of the garden project are inviting the community to work together to prepare, plant, and share in the harvesting of produce and there is no financial cost to anyone that gets involved, just a commitment to participate in the care of the garden and to enjoy lots of outdoor fun. In addition to participants sharing produce, the group will donate fresh produce to organizations that are offering classes on healthy eating to children and to organizations that are sheltering women and their children during times of transition in their lives. They will offer free classes on composting, natural gardening, and healthy cooking and eating. Seeds from their crops will be saved and will be available to start other local community gardens in other neighborhoods.
As the organizers of the garden put it, "Its an experiment to see how much can be accomplished when neighbors, friends, and family start working together creatively for the benefit of our children and our community. For our young children, learning about good nutrition in a garden setting is fun and easily understood. As adults, we are also learning that we need to get involved and find creative ways to solve our problems”.
Harrisburg, PA, February 2010
Its deep winter in Central PA in a year where we've seen more snow than we’ve experienced in several decades and yet a small group of area residents are oblivious because they can only think about Spring and the unique garden they plan to create in Dauphin County in the community garden plots available to area residents along Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg.
Our Children's Rainbow Garden is a community garden that will not only provide fresh, local produce to the area residents that participate, but it will also serve as a hands-on educational environment for children and their parents. The project is unique because it is organized by area residents that are inspired to teach children about the health benefits of eating a "rainbow" of colorful and freshly grown local fruits and vegetables every day along with promoting the benefits of composting and local community gardens as an inexpensive and accessible source of healthy foods. The group was inspired to begin planning the garden when they started to look for creative ways to resolve their concerns with the quality and affordability of the food that is available to the average family. During the discussion it became clear that by creating a community garden project, they could go way beyond these goals and also build a caring community, provide much needed education, and also support local non-profits in their efforts to solve local problems.
The organizers of the garden project are inviting the community to work together to prepare, plant, and share in the harvesting of produce and there is no financial cost to anyone that gets involved, just a commitment to participate in the care of the garden and to enjoy lots of outdoor fun. In addition to participants sharing produce, the group will donate fresh produce to organizations that are offering classes on healthy eating to children and to organizations that are sheltering women and their children during times of transition in their lives. They will offer free classes on composting, natural gardening, and healthy cooking and eating. Seeds from their crops will be saved and will be available to start other local community gardens in other neighborhoods.
As the organizers of the garden put it, "Its an experiment to see how much can be accomplished when neighbors, friends, and family start working together creatively for the benefit of our children and our community. For our young children, learning about good nutrition in a garden setting is fun and easily understood. As adults, we are also learning that we need to get involved and find creative ways to solve our problems”.
So, the only question now, is
who wants to help?
For more information
visit www.childrensrainbowgarden.blogspot.com
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