The HEART of Appalachian Ohio project will build greenhouses and community gardens at regional school districts that will serve as a way to provide food to under privileged children, food to the local foodbanks, and teach the students and community members skills that will allow them to be successful in the workforce.
The schools are Maysville Local Schools (Middle and High Schools), Franklin Local Community School and Foxfire Schools. Both Franklin Local and Foxfire are working to become STEM designated schools. None of these schools have any type of agriculture education programing or FFA, but would love to be able to offer their students an agricultural curriculum and eventually a career pathway in agriculture. Maysville is currently moving towards establishing multiple career pathways for their high school students. New Lexington High School, which has one of the largest FFA programs in the state, and they have offered any assistance/mentorship they can provide, including how they have come to partner with Hocking College and Central State University so that their students can earn an associate degree in agriculture while earning their high school diploma. Allowing for development which will let them go straight into the workforce.
All three schools have 100% of their students on the free lunch program. For example, Foxfire has a total of 430 students from 8 counties, 100% of which are underserved and 100% of which are food insecure.
The three schools would receive, through the HEART of Appalachian Ohio project, a greenhouse with the necessary equipment and supplies, and curriculum for the teachers (K-12) and community gardens. The students would grow food as a community garden, with the produce either going directly into their school lunch program, or it being donated to the students in need, or local food pantries. Plans are for the students to eventually work with Food Works Alliance to create a shelf stable product from their produce that they could sell to raise money for their programs. In this process, students would not only learn about growing food, but would also learn many business skills as well. Again, work force development is being addressed, as is education and community health.
The greenhouses may also be able to produce native pollinator plants that could support the continued growth.
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