NEWS-TIMES PHOTO: KATHY FULLER - First- and second-grade students from Forest Grove Community School put the finishing touches on their Take a Bite garden located at 15th Avenue and Birch Street. NEWS-TIMES PHOTO: KATHY FULLER - Proud gardeners pose with their teacher Karen Thias in Students to community: go ahead, take a bite Created on Wednesday, 27 May 2015 10:42 | Written by Kathy Fuller | 0 Comments Forest Grove Community School promotes front yard gardens offering healthy snacks Take a stroll around Forest Grove this summer and you might come across a garden box next to the sidewalk with a sign inviting you to pick and eat the produce. That’s right. Pluck a handful of warm sun-ripened cherry tomatoes and savor the summer flavor. Or find a couple just-right-sized zucchini squash to take home and grill with dinner. Forest Grove Community School first- and second-graders have been hard at work completing their “Take a Bite” project — eight garden boxes around town designed to grow fresh produce for community members to use as they need. The idea was first proposed by FGCS teacher Eva Conway, who was inspired by a similar project based in Austin, Texas, called “Food is Free.” “Food is Free” started in January 2012 and is “a community building and gardening movement ... to connect with your neighbors and line your street with front yard community gardens which provide free harvests to anyone,” according to the group’s mission statement. “More and more people are recognizing the importance of local food and supporting our communities. “Food is Free provides a platform for community interaction that opens doors to further collaboration and connection.” The students helped build six raised beds (two of the eight sites already had garden boxes available) and found community members willing to place the box in their front yard and tend the plants during the summer. Last week and this week, students will fill the boxes with soil and plant vegetable starts of all kinds: peas, peppers, beans, lettuce, onions and squash. A sign is mounted on each box inviting visitors to “Take a Bite.” “We are also inviting other community members to ‘take a bite’ by building their own front yard garden bed and sharing with the community or food bank, or by installing a sign in an already existing bed,” said Erin Morgan, the community school’s experiential education teacher. Once all the garden boxes are ready to go, student will prepare a “garden guide” for all the box owners to help them with gardening tips, Morgan said. Last week, a few students had plenty of tips for the newly-planted box at 15th Avenue and Birch Street. “Water in the morning,” suggested one student. “No, water at night,” said another. “It sounds like we’ll need to do some more research,” said teacher Karen Thias. Students to community: go ahead, take a bite http://www.pamplinmedia.com/fgnt/36-news/261796-133479-s... 1 of 4 7/17/15, 11:49 AM

Students to community: go ahead, take a bitekohalacenter.org/docs/resources/hisgn/StudentsToCommunity.pdf · and second-grade students from Forest Grove ... and Birch Street. NEWS-TIMES

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Page 1: Students to community: go ahead, take a bitekohalacenter.org/docs/resources/hisgn/StudentsToCommunity.pdf · and second-grade students from Forest Grove ... and Birch Street. NEWS-TIMES

NEWS-TIMES PHOTO: KATHY FULLER - First-and second-grade students from Forest GroveCommunity School put the finishing touches ontheir Take a Bite garden located at 15th Avenueand Birch Street.

NEWS-TIMES PHOTO: KATHY FULLER - Proudgardeners pose with their teacher Karen Thias in

Students to community: go ahead, take a biteCreated on Wednesday, 27 May 2015 10:42 | Written by Kathy Fuller |

0 Comments

Forest Grove Community School promotes front yard gardens offering healthy snacks

Take a stroll around Forest Grove this summer and you might comeacross a garden box next to the sidewalk with a sign inviting you to pickand eat the produce.

That’s right. Pluck a handful of warm sun-ripened cherry tomatoes andsavor the summer flavor. Or find a couple just-right-sized zucchinisquash to take home and grill with dinner.

Forest Grove Community School first- and second-graders have beenhard at work completing their “Take a Bite” project — eight gardenboxes around town designed to grow fresh produce for communitymembers to use as they need.

The idea was first proposed by FGCS teacher Eva Conway, who wasinspired by a similar project based in Austin, Texas, called “Food isFree.”

“Food is Free” started in January 2012 and is “a community building and gardening movement ... to connect withyour neighbors and line your street with front yard community gardens which provide free harvests to anyone,”according to the group’s mission statement. “More and more people are recognizing the importance of local foodand supporting our communities.

“Food is Free provides a platform for community interaction that opens doors to further collaboration andconnection.”

The students helped build six raised beds (two of the eight sites already had garden boxes available) and foundcommunity members willing to place the box in their front yard and tend the plants during the summer.

Last week and this week, students will fill the boxes with soil and plant vegetable starts of all kinds: peas, peppers,beans, lettuce, onions and squash.

A sign is mounted on each box inviting visitors to “Take a Bite.”

“We are also inviting other community members to ‘take a bite’ by building their own front yard garden bed andsharing with the community or food bank, or by installing a sign in an already existing bed,” said Erin Morgan, thecommunity school’s experiential education teacher.

Once all the garden boxes are ready to go, student will prepare a“garden guide” for all the box owners to help them with gardening tips,Morgan said.

Last week, a few students had plenty of tips for the newly-planted box at15th Avenue and Birch Street.

“Water in the morning,” suggested one student. “No, water at night,”said another.

“It sounds like we’ll need to do some more research,” said teacher KarenThias.

Students to community: go ahead, take a bite http://www.pamplinmedia.com/fgnt/36-news/261796-133479-s...

1 of 4 7/17/15, 11:49 AM

Page 2: Students to community: go ahead, take a bitekohalacenter.org/docs/resources/hisgn/StudentsToCommunity.pdf · and second-grade students from Forest Grove ... and Birch Street. NEWS-TIMES

front of their newly completed Take a Bite garden,which will provide the commmunity with freshvegetables during the summer.

Morgan said several local businesses donated to the “Take a Bite”project including Creative Growers Organic Farm, the Graham family,Sun Gold Farms, Steve’s Machining, Miracle Signs, Parr Lumber andNature’s Needs.

Students to community: go ahead, take a bite http://www.pamplinmedia.com/fgnt/36-news/261796-133479-s...

2 of 4 7/17/15, 11:49 AM