Safer® Brand Garden Grant Winner has big plans for students

She explained that it wasn't likely that the inner city school's K-4 students had ever seen a real vegetable garden, much less had a chance to work in one. With a $500 grant, she figured they would have a chance to do so. Even better, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, school already had a garden area – though it hadn't been used in years.

In her winning essay, Bonfanti laid out plans to revitalize the plot: "If we received this grant, we would work on beautifying the area, then put together a curriculum so that each grade would be able to utilize the area for their science classes.  We are focused on science and math at our school, so what better way to engage the students?"

Not long after her submission, Safer® Brand announced Ben Franklin Elementary as the winner – a thrill for the educator and the school staff.

"When we won, we started making plans and already a lot of teachers are interested in utilizing the garden," Bonfanti said, looking over her notebook of garden plans that also included requests from art teachers and autism-support classes. "At least 500 to 600 students are expected to participate in making this garden work."

First, however, the Ben Franklin staff needs to clean up their garden plot, which has fallen into disuse and become overgrown with weeds. Once that's complete, "each teacher will make their own curriculum based on using the garden," she said, also adding there would be a little bit more to entice the kids, too. "It's always fun to have a competition between classes to see who can grow the best and the biggest. We want to do a pumpkin-growing contest, too."

Want to see how Ben Franklin's garden turns out? Safer® Brand will check in on the project throughout the year at SaferBrand.com/articles. In the meantime, schools interested in applying to next year's garden grant can apply here:  SaferBrand.com/safer-brand-garden-grant-for-schools

More about Safer® Brand
Safer® Brand is a gardening supplies manufacturer based in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It offers a wide variety of OMRI Listed® products to assist organic gardeners and hydroponic growers in pest and disease control and plant nutrition.

CONTACT:  William Klinedinst, 717-626-2125 x497, [email protected]

SOURCE Safer® Brand

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