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The Tower Garden Project 

We have collaborated with an awesome group of people, all of whom are committed to improving the lives of children! The Tower Gardens in Classroom Project was funded by Sentara Cares of the Sentara Health System, just another example of their commitment to bettering the health and well-being of our community.

Infinity Empowerment Srervices

We could not do it without Beverly Grandison of Infinity Empowerment Services and Juice Plus, our “boots on the ground” force & our motivator! Beverly has an infectious energy and provides education and support in the classrooms to help the teachers and students bring the Tower Gardens to life. She met with the classes regularly to be a presence during their growing experience and share nutritional information in a fun and relatable way!

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Norfolk Public Schools

​Lisa Winter, Senior Director of Norfolk Public School of Nutrition (www.npsk12.com/nutrition), and her team were extremely supportive every step of the way. They helped to get us in front of the right people to kick off the program, offered guidance on protocols, and allowed us to use the Central Kitchen facility to prepare for the parties and store the ingredients.

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Youth Earn & Learn

We purchased the produce from Youth Earn and Learn Jobs-for-Kids©, founded by Karen Bailey (youthearnandlearnonline.org). Their mission is to keep kids off the streets and train and develop the next generation of Leaders, CEOs, and Entrepreneurs. They connect healthy eating with helping Youth and seniors and reducing the impact of food deserts on marginalized communities. They delivered fresh, healthy produce on time and at a competitive price.

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What Are Tower Gardens?

Working in a community garden is an excellent way for kids to learn about where foods come from and to gain a basic introduction to nutrition, healthy food choices, environmental issues, etc. However, traditional gardens are labor intensive and optimal gardening season in Hampton Roads occurs in the summer months when school is out. Tower Gardens are the solution because you can grow more plants in less time with fewer resources. Aeroponic technology, compared to soil gardening, increases yields by as much as 30% and triples the speed of plant growth, while using only 10% of water and space. There are lesson plans and learning materials for each grade so the teacher can easily incorporate the garden into the curriculum including literacy, math, science journaling and urban gardening. We have School Champions in both schools – teachers/administrators who are healthy eating advocates & willing to serve as ambassadors to encourage and maintain enthusiasm for the project. It’s all about making it fun while introducing lifelong lessons!

Project Snapshots

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