Earth to Table (E2T 2016) is a Broward County School Board approved community gardening project. E2T launched in January 31, 2016 and since then has an enrollment of 75 boys and girls between the ages of 7-15, and is rapidly growing. The youth participants plant and tend to an organic garden of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes avocado, potatoes, squash and cucumbers. The youth also tend to a hydroponic garden of herbs such as basil and chives. The garden, also know as “THE PATCH”, is located in the back of the C.W. Thomas Community Center allowing them to access the garden anytime during the open hours. The program’s initiatives are environmental preservation, physical growth, nutrition, education and social development of local public school students living in particular under served neighborhoods like Dania Beach, FL. E2T focuses on teaching the youth the importance of taking pride in themselves, and the responsibility of preserving the environment/community around them.

The project is coupled with a journaling component that topically encourages the students to write about their gardening and day to day experiences. After completing the crop cycle (4 months) and the E2T curriculum composed of gardening safety, journaling, etiquette, behavioral adjustments, teamwork, international Skype discussions, public speaking, finance and eco-preneurial lessons. The youth are self-rewarded with a quarterly harvest of their crops. The harvest is celebrated with a recognition ceremony and a Family Salad feast, where the youth serve, and eat a large salad consisting of vegetables and herbs from their organic and hydroponic garden.

LOVE OUR NATION has partnered with approved volunteers and parents from the community and anticipates growth. Thanks to local sponsors, and high community participation we are confident that are youth will see the “fruits,” well in this case, the vegetables of their labor. The funds will be used to provide more gardening equipment such as cultivator, fork, dibbler, gloves, sacs for soil, and notebooks for journaling.