SPP partnered with the American Heart Association to develop plans for a Teaching Garden at Lockhart Elementary School in Tampa. SPP was honored to participate in the first Teaching Garden in Tampa Bay in four years, promoting healthy eating and a better understanding for the students of where their food comes from.
“We’re so happy to be working alongside a company with such a strong mission to help the community,” said Amber Hubbard at the American Heart Association.
In February, SPP team members joined school staff, students and parents for “Build Day” to assemble planters, followed by a “Plant Day,” where the team assisted students with planting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. To make this a more interactive and fun experience for the students, there were pizza and salsa-themed gardens, including tomatoes, basil, eggplant and peppers. The Teaching Garden will be a hands-on tool for educating Lockhart students on the importance of nutrition and healthy eating.
Looking forward, Lockhart will be hosting a night for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics). For the arts portion of the night, students will be painting the various planters from the Teaching Garden, encouraging artistic expression and creativity. Following the painting, the last step in the process will be the “Harvest Day” where students will be able to yield the fruits – and vegetables – of their labor.
This story was pulled from our spring 2019 community update.
Read the full issue here.