Amazon Fresh Funding Inspires Innovative Gardens
Our Partnership with Amazon Fresh
We're excited to announce that Amazon Fresh is continuing to support the Foundation’s Garden Grant Program for the second year in a row! This year, they’ve expanded their support to more zip codes, helping fund an additional 48 gardens at schools and giving more kids the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from through hands-on experiences. In addition to Amazon Fresh’s generous $171,000 grant, they are also donating 10¢ from every packaged produce item purchased from Amazon Grocery, Amazon Fresh, and 365 by Whole Foods Market brands, up to $40,000.
Check out the incredible ways that these Amazon Fresh funded schools are using their garden grants to better the lives of their students.
Meet Trailblazing Schools
Bogota High School
Bogota, NJ
At Bogota Junior and Senior High School, students and staff have used their grant to create a hydroponic system that produces a whopping 50 pounds of leafy greens a month. Through their partnership with the school’s cafeteria, they have established food storage systems and supply salad greens for food service. The collaboration between kitchen staff, teachers, and students has resulted in a coordinated schedule for seeding, transplanting, maintenance, harvesting, and storage. During the growing cycle, students have learned the fundamentals of hydroponic growing and developed skills in measuring and adjusting conditions to create optimal growing environments.
Avery Coonley School
Downers Grove, IL
The garden at Avery Coonley School has taken a unique approach to school gardening by integrating robotics and artificial intelligence into their system management to track plant growth and maintenance. The garden project was featured at a TEDx event, showcasing the innovative ways that the garden program is integrating STEM curriculum, outdoor learning, and sustainability. The garden even earned a nomination from the Illinois State Board of Education for the prestigious U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Award this year!
Casa Pacifica Nonpublic School |
Camarillo, CA
Casa Pacifica school provides an array of support and care to help kids and families overcome some of life’s most difficult circumstances, including complex mental and behavioral health challenges and family crises. The school has incorporated a robust garden program and facility on their 25-acre campus to help students navigate a wide array of challenges. While the primary focus is garden-based nutrition education, the space also serves as a therapeutic environment, helping 70 students develop coping mechanisms and self-regulation skills. In addition to their curriculum, the school has also integrated lessons around indigenous cultures by inviting a Chumash elder to visit the garden and demonstrate traditional Chumash tools.