Kingston, Ont. elementary school students celebrate community garden with salad party – Kingston

Students at Trudell public school in Kingston’s west end got to celebrate after months of hard work resulting in a community garden full of fruit and vegetables.

How did this group of fourth and fifth graders celebrate?

By eating the fruits of their labor.

“When I squeezed the lemon juice… it stings your eyes, that’s what I learned mostly today,” said fifth-grade student Quinn Freeman.

The students used their harvest to make a celebratory salad.

They say the experience was a rewarding one, and very much hands-on.

“I got the seeds, I dug a bunch of holes, planted them, spaced them out, measured everything,” said Caleb Farrell.

“It was a fun project. I found it really fun when I got to dig up the old stuff, ”Russell Gough said.

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The Community Foundation for Kingston and Area was a driving force behind the project, committing $ 15,000 in grants to help make it happen.

“It’s not necessarily just about supporting food security within our community, but also ensuring that there is good food out there for our community,” said CFKA grants co-ordinator Yu Jier Kou.

Loving Spoonful helped facilitate the whole operation from day one, working with the kids and helping to teach them about growing fresh food. As well, all the leftovers that didn’t get used in the salads will go to feed those in need through Loving Spoonful.

“They were all telling me stories about what they’re growing at home now because of this project and then, of course, they get to enjoy their delicious hard work,” said Leslie Hanson of Loving Spoonful.

“Not only did they get to learn about gardening their own healthy food, but they also got to enjoy the fruits and vegetables of their labor.”