Student garden brings fresh food to families' tables

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Students at Lealman Elementary are heading outdoors to learn and grow.

A non-profit organization called the Edible Peace Patch Project is teaching students to grow and tend the food they’ll ultimately get to enjoy at their own tables.

"It gives them the opportunity to be empowered, a better understanding of the food process, and the chain of where foods come from," said Sherry Howard of Edible Peace Patch Project.

The organization was started in 2009 by a group of Eckerd College students and a professor.

"Our first school garden was at Lakewood Elementary School. We target Title I schools. Those schools are schools that are primarily populated with students who are on a free and reduced lunch," said Howard.

The families of the students benefit from this, too.

"They are able to take the food that we harvest home and into the classroom. Once a year, we have an event for the kids and their families to come out and participate with the food we take," said Howard.

The hope is that the garden will serve the students in every aspect of life.

"It is important to understand to have nourishment or a healthy diet. [It] will allow you to be a more viable entity in the classroom, outside of the classroom and ultimately when we go home," said Howard.

For more information about the Edible Peace Patch Project, visit http://www.peacepatch.org/.