Springfield’s Public School system may soon have gardens where students can grow food for their cafeterias. That’s after the district received a $100,000 federal grant. Springfield has already partnered with local farms to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for students. School spokesperson Azell Cavaan says this latest grant from the USDA goes a step further.
“The whole idea is to actually be gardeners. For the students to have gardens in their own buildings that they are responsible for and that they reap the benefits from.”
Cavaan says the school committee still needs to sign-off on the program. And she does not know how many of the city’s 55 schools have available space for gardens. But she says she expects to see some fruits and vegetables growing by the end of the current school year. Springfield is among only 6 New England school districts, including Somerville, Massachusetts, and New London, Connecticut, to receive these grants.