$20,000 Grant from Principal Financial Group Will Fund Compost Education, Outdoor Classroom at Camden Street Learning Garden
The Principal Financial Group has awarded a $20,000 grant to support the Camden Street Learning Garden, a Southeast Raleigh food security initiative led by Inter-Faith Shuttle (IFFS). Located at 315 S. Camden St. in the middle of one of Raleigh’s most prominent food deserts, the garden is a unique community space for teaching residents to grow and cook vegetables, herbs, and fruits so they can become more self-sufficient and embrace healthier eating habits. IFFS launched the garden in June 2014 with neighborhood children adopting garden beds, which then spread to engaging parents, grandparents and other community members. With significant support from the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation, a classroom and teaching kitchen were added in 2015.
Katie Murray, Raleigh Urban Agriculture Programs Manager for IFFS said, “Kids are here virtually every day after school and all summer long. Sometimes they come with their grandparents or other family members. It’s a safe place to be, it’s fun and they’re learning.”
Principal’s donation supports the following expansions:
- Partnering with CompostNow, IFFS will build a Compost Education System that will turn local waste streams into resource streams. The community will learn how to grow food in the garden, prepare it in the teaching kitchen and then turn any pre-consumed or post-consumed food back into the soil it came from.
- An outdoor classroom with kitchen and community gathering space will allow IFFS to host large school, corporate and community groups at Camden Learning Garden for field trips, tours and community dinners.
- A greenhouse will allow for season extension as well as an economic learning opportunity for community gardeners and Seed to Supper program participants through the sale of organic starter plants.
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