BOISE, Idaho — Getting kids to eat their fruits and vegetables can be tough but when you let them pick it right out of the ground or right off the branch, it's a little easier.
Global Gardens is a nonprofit farm growing fresh produce for the community by refugee farmers. The produce provider partners with Nutrition Works and a handful of childcare facilities in the Treasure Valley to give kids fresh fruits and veggies and teach kids about healthy foods.
“I just think it really helps them kind of understand their food is alive,” Global Gardens Farm Manager Ben Brock said. “It helps them realize that their community is alive in ways they might not necessarily know.”
The partnership is part of Global Garden’s CSA program which is the largest Community Supported Agriculture program in the Treasure Valley, according to the Idaho Office for Refugees.
Children from Magic Stars Spanish Preschool took a field trip to the garden Wednesday, where they picked carrots, learned about onions and ate blackberries right off the branches.
“The best part of our whole program is getting to take those vegetables out there and show those kids what they look like in their original form,” Nutrition Works Program Monitor Kelli Jeffress said.
Global Garden partners with Nutrition works, which delivers the produce to the daycares each week alongside coloring books and recipes.
“Every week, kids get a box full of fresh veggies and they get to know that veggies are coming from local farms and local producers and it helps create a secondary market for some of the farmers as well,” Brock said.
The partnership allows young kids to see where exactly their produce is coming from and provides fresh produce to daycares from Caldwell to Mountain Home.
“I think it’s a wonderful partnership that we get to support global gardens as a whole and that we get to connect their providers who are feeding these kids with these amazing nutritious meals," Brock said.
The community can sign up to be a CSA member which gives access to a weekly box of produce from spring to fall. Daycares apart of the program receive a 25% discount through a Nutrition Works grant according to the Idaho Office for Refugees.
