WATSONVILLE CA - Driscoll's has awarded a $10,000.00 grant to Whole Foods Market's Whole Kids Foundation as part of its school garden grant program. According to a press release, this generous donation will fund the creation of five new edible school gardens, an invaluable tool for fostering healthy relationships between school children and the food they eat.
Working with the Whole Foods Foundation on this project was an easy decision, according to Maria T. Cadenas, Community Involvement Manager for Driscoll’s, because of the common core values the two companies share.
“We are excited about our school garden partnership as it will foster the knowledge of where our food comes and the people that make it possible – from the farmworker to the farmers,” she said. “We are pleased to help build a more inclusive, connected and economically vibrant community.”
“We are excited to partner with a company like Driscoll’s who has a deep passion for growing nutritious food,” agreed Nona Evans, Whole Kids Foundation Executive Director. “Their support of our school garden program will empower thousands of students to develop that same passion and increase their willingness to try and eat fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Driscoll's employees will be selecting the schools to receive this grant money through a nomination process.
Formally established in 2005, the Driscoll’s Philanthropy Program works under the mission of using Driscoll's core values, passion, humility, and trustworthiness, to transform the communities around them, creating amazing places to live for the people who call them their homes.
The Whole Kids Foundation works with local communities to help create and maintain sustainable school gardens. It has also awarded grants to to schools that educate children of migrant and farmworker populations.
This is a great cause these two companies are working towards. Feeling a connection with the food they eat is certainly something schools should be teaching their students, and it's great to see Driscoll's and Whole Foods Market giving these schools the resources to do just that.
