Volunteers Needed!
The Washington District School Board has decided that volunteers will be allowed to return in January! What this means is that your help could make a big difference in the lives of some students who very much need social-emotional support and individual attention to rebuild academic skills.
In addition, our garden team needs more members as we restart our classroom and outdoor learning program. With volunteers, we are able to work in small groups to better engage students with hands-on learning.
If you are comfortable devoting an hour or two a week to help in a classroom, or two-three hours twice a month in the garden, please contact Cathy Kim at maryland@phoenixuu.org
Garden News
This year we have a grant to participate in the Blue Watermelon-Slow Food Movement Chef-in-the Garden program started by award-winning chef Charleen Badman of FnB restaurant in Scottsdale. The purpose is to help students understand and experience the connection of growing plants and eating them as part of good nutrition.
Our November project with fifth graders involved collard greens, to honor African-American cuisine, and the chef providing the recipe and instructions (via YouTube) was Pam Coleman of Mrs. C’s Home Style. Thanks to Sprouts and Steele Foundation, boxes of collard greens, bell peppers, onions, seasonings, and lots of butter were delivered to school one morning, teams of kids from both fifth grade classes came out to prep the veggies, and in the afternoon we had a Collard Greens Picnic, with cornbread and pumpkin butter.
Have a look at the photos—What a feast! Each student received a collard plant to take home and grow, thanks to Vilardi Gardens.