CURRENT WORK
BRINGING SCHOOL GARDENS TO LIFE
We want to help schools build their vision. To do this, we approach school communities to ask what they envision for their school garden, brainstorm what that garden programming could be, and come up with ideas to implement through collaboration and partnership. This work includes giving supplies and materials, seedlings, seeds and compost to schools, which they can use to start gardens or plant their existing gardens. We’ve also taken abandoned school gardens and revamped them entirely, planting and getting them set up for the summer.
EDUCATION AND MAINTENANCE
Part of our work also involves coming into school classrooms to teach students how to start their own seeds. When we return to do community planting, each student gets to plant their own seedlings and the school community itself completes the season’s planting. In addition, we curate garden activities like bug releases, art projects, and more. During the summer, SustainEd Farms helps maintain gardens so they stay thriving and can turn into a learning space in the fall. This includes watering and taking care of the gardens, as well as harvesting any food to include in our farm shares with the community.
FOOD JUSTICE
We want to ensure that every crop grown on our school gardens and farms makes its way into the hands of local Denver families. We do this by donating 100% of food harvested from school gardens to either Bienvenidos Food Bank, Vive Wellness’ food distribution program, or Huerta Urbana’s pay-what-you-can farmers market. Food justice is not just a question of getting food to people; it’s a question of people having the freedom to choose what foods they want in culturally and personally relevant ways.
