Veggie gardens growing across the community

SANDPOINT — The outdoor “quad” area Sandpoint Middle School is rarely used, making it a perfect place for a garden.

Through a grant from the city of Sandpoint, Food For Our Children did just that, installing four raised beds on May 4.

“I want to get more funding so we can get more beds in here, and maybe an orchard,” said Michele Murphree, FFOC coordinator for the Edible Schoolyard Garden Project.

Murphree said the middle school is in their second year of having a culinary class, so the garden will be educational as well as provide healthy, fresh food for SMS students. FFOC sends home weekend food bags to more than 50 percent of elementary kids at some schools in the district, Murphree said. The weekend food bags “dramatically” drop off once the kids enter middle school each year, she said, not because they have found a new source of food, but because stigma starts setting in.

“I’m hoping that, with the pantry we have at the middle school, the new culinary class and the new garden, that we can start chipping away at the stigma and getting these teens the food they need,” she said.

SMS marks the 16th garden installed by Murphree and FFOC, with the help of other local organizations, as well as city, state and federal grants. In addition to SMS, every elementary school in the Lake Pend Oreille School District now has a garden, as well as Forrest Bird Charter School, the Homeschool Academy and Lake Pend Oreille High School. Community gardens have been installed at Mountain States Early Head Start, Bonner Community Food Bank, East Bonner County Library District in Sandpoint and Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church.

The city of Sandpoint received a High Five Community Transformation Grant for up to $250,000 from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health in 2017. The purpose of the grant is to encourage healthy eating, physical activity, and establishment of safe and healthy environments for children. Through a series of workshops, the Bonner County Coalition for Health and the city’s High Five leadership team identified seven projects to receive funding to support increased physical activity and access to healthy, affordable food in the community.

For the garden projects, the “Combined Schools Garden Expansion” was awarded $9,900 to expand school gardens and the culinary programs at SMS, Homeschool Academy, LPOHS, Farmin-Stidwell Elementary, and Sandpoint Waldorf School. The East Bonner County Library District received $11,196 for its garden, where families are involved in all phases of food production, harvest, preparation, consumption, sharing, and preservation, according to a statement by city officials. In addition, Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church was awarded $14,937.50 to expand its community garden.

Murphree said 40 beds were installed at Christ Our Redeemer in 2018, and on Saturday they will double that number, as well as add an apple orchard. The beds are open to the public at no cost, she said, as Christ Our Redeemer works with low-income families through WIC and Panhandle Health. Last year, the church donated more than 400 pounds of fresh produce to the food bank as well, she said.

A group of volunteers will be installing the 40 additional beds starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Christ Our Redeemer, 1900 Pine St, Sandpoint, and the community is invited to join.

“This is just an absolutely beautiful garden and resource for our community,” Murphree said.

A watering system will be installed at the Waldorf School garden across the street on Saturday as well.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.