Atwater’s staff volunteered at Great Kids Farm in Catonsville today.
swiss chard
Great Kids Farm “provides opportunities for Baltimore City Public School students to understand and participate in every aspect of food preparation – from seed to fork – and prepares them to lead 21st century sustainability efforts.”
The farm has very few adult employees and runs off a staff of student interns and student/community volunteers. Some groups that come to the farm bring 100 people, some only bring 10. No matter the size, every person’s contribution helps through a ripple effect, and everything comes full circle. This seemed to be a motto for the day…
With education, Great Kids Farm brings it full circle with programs to stimulate every student grades K-12. Younger students may learn the basic anatomy of a plant – such as “stem” and “leaf” using a leafy green vegetable like swiss chard. Students can then eat the plant to understand that our food comes from the earth.
High school students perform more complex activities on the farm related to their interests and what they’re studying in school – bringing their education to real world situations. Carpentry students may build a work shelf, plumbing students may help with water systems, etc.
Find out more about how we helped on the farm through our facebook photo album.
planting thousands of onions
Our day started by meeting with Greg, a former Atwater’s employee. Greg made cookies in our pastry department at Belvedere Square a few years ago (before it moved to Catonsville) and also worked our stand at farmers’ markets. From here he found work on a farm and eventually moved to Great Kids Farm. It was great to see a familiar face and have a connection through the workplace.
Greg introduced us to the farm’s mission and then we divided into two groups – a few of us transferring onion seedlings to the ground and the rest of us helping to weed and plant native flowers at the entrance to the farm.
Both projects will have a ripple effect. The onions will be harvested in June (by students) to be sent to Baltimore schools for food and also used in one of Great Kids Farm’s new projects – an onsite kitchen. The new kitchen will allow students to receive cooking education, truly completing their seed to fork journey.
The flower bed we worked on is a project Great Kids Farm has been thinking of for awhile, so they were happy for our helping hands. Planting native perennials will contribute to the farm’s idea to educate not only on edible plants, but beautifying plants as well.
this box is made from wooden palettes donated by Atwater's
One of the coolest things on the farm was a wooden box made from materials donated by Atwater’s! When flour is delivered to our bakery, we’re left with these wooden palettes. Students on the farm use the wood to make these easily movable boxes (designed for forklifts) as well as a variety of other items for the farm.
In addition to the palettes, Atwater’s composts for Great Kids Farm. Our waste – eggshells, coffee grounds, vegetable peels, etc. – becomes nutrient rich soil at the farm.
After a hearty lunch from Ned & La, we were back outside for more planting and weeding. Our day concluded with a visit to the farm’s goats and a group reflection.
A great day was had by all on Great Kids Farm. We look forward to our continued partnership with this organization.
