By Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN – More than 100 pounds of fresh produce and herbs will be donated to the Backpack Crew of Red Bank this year thanks to students and parent volunteers with green thumbs at Fairview Elementary School.
Recently fresh produce has been ripe for the picking in the school’s outdoor garden after spending several months growing in the sun. It’s a hands-on lesson the children really enjoy, said parent Dara O’Neil, garden chair. They “absolutely love it.”
According to O’Neil, the raised bed garden was established in 2016 with funds from a grant through Whole Foods. In its first two years, produce was given to whomever helped take care of the garden or to those the caretakers knew were in need. In the summer, families could sign up to adopt the garden for a week and could then harvest whatever they wanted during that time. It gave the children and individuals who don’t have gardens at home the chance to go out and pick fresh food.
Most recently, the bounty has been donated to local organizations like Lunch Break, which received about 50 pounds from the school last year, and the Backpack Crew, which is receiving its produce this season. The organization was founded by Keith and Suzanne Dice and has become a ministry of the United Methodist Church of Red Bank, according to its Facebook page. Its members help six schools in the Bayshore area provide healthy meals for children on the weekends when they are not in school to receive free lunches.
Every year they plant different produce. This year there were cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, radishes, beets, peas, strawberries, raspberries and several herbs. As of Oct. 6, the garden had generated 116 pounds of product and continues to grow. It’s by far the most the school has donated from its garden, O’Neil said, outdoing last year’s number by 66 pounds.
“Every year we try to upgrade and outdo what we did the year before. We’re just constantly evolving,” she said, and looking at ways to make the season longer. “This year we’re trying Brussels sprouts for our winter planting and we’re going to see how it goes.”
The process begins in March each year. Before the pandemic struck, parent volunteers went into the classrooms and helped the children plant seeds in planters they placed on the windowsills so teachers could educate the children on the parts of the plants, the life cycles and more as part of the school’s science curriculum. If the weather cooperates, by late May the children bring their seedlings to the garden and plant them in the ground.
“It’s kind of cool when they come back the next year in September, their tiny little 2-inch tomato plant is now this huge tomato plant that’s producing tons of tomatoes everywhere,” said O’Neil. “They really get a kick out of seeing that.”
This season was a bit different because of COVID-19. The children were still able to plant their seedlings before they left the building for the school year, but they were learning virtually in May when they would have planted those sprouts in the garden. Luckily, a parent volunteer was able to get into the school to save the children’s seedlings so they could still be planted in May. And, boy, did it pay off.
Since the start of this school year in September, the students have been using the garden for outdoor class lessons as well as the nearby reading garden on the property. It is utilized by students in all grades in the K-5 school, but it’s particularly popular among kindergartners and first-graders.
Overall, O’Neil described the experience as simply awesome.
“It’s been an outlet definitely for my children being cooped up in the house as far as COVID goes. They look forward to going there,” said O’Neil. “It’s really getting (the children) to get their hands dirty and learn in a different way than in books and on a screen, and bring them closer to nature.”
The article originally appeared in the October 8 – 14, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
