COMMUNITY GARDEN BEING BUILT AT FLINT SCHOOL
FoodCorps Michigan, Crim, Flint River Farms and Volunteers, Including Mayor Dayne Walling, to Build Hoop House at Brownell/Holmes STEM Academies
(FLINT, Mich) – From 8:30am to 5pm Saturday, Oct. 24, FoodCorps Michigan, the Crim Fitness Foundation, Flint River Farms, AmeriCorps members (including alum Mayor Dayne Walling) and other volunteers will work together build a hoop house at Brownell/Holmes STEM academies.
The project will allow families and residents to participate in a community garden program taking place at Brownell/Holmes STEM academies as part of the Community Education Initiative, said Jeff Martin, FoodCorps Service Member at the Crim Fitness Foundation. The Crim is the lead agency of the Community Education Initiative and a host site for FoodCorps Michigan, which provides garden education to youth.
“The Hoop House project directly benefits our students, exposing them to science and agriculture and engaging them in collaborative work,” said Flint Community Schools Superintendent Bilal Tawwab. “We’re truly grateful to the community for coming together once again and providing our students with a well-rounded education that goes beyond the classroom walls.”
The community partners and volunteers, with direction from Martin and Flint River Farms owner, Roxanne Adair, will build a 13-by-40 foot hoop house, where garden education lessons will take place for students and garden space will be available for residents.
“This project will allow children to not only get out of the traditional classroom and participate in hands on lessons, but it will also instill a sense of connection with the land in a meaningful way,” said Mayor Dayne Walling. “Teaching our students about the importance of volunteering within the community in a setting where the value of their work can be appreciated up close is priceless.”
The Crim Fitness Foundation cultivates accessible, vibrant communities in Flint and Genesee County that encourage people to lead healthy lifestyles by integrating physical activity, healthy eating, and mindfulness into their daily lives and mentors other communities to do the same.
