WBEZ Community Champion Day of Service at Oglesby Elementary (Gardeneers)

Community Champion:

Margo Mejia and Randy Jamrok (UPDATED)

Organization Mission:

The Gardeneers mission is to increase health and nutrition of Chicago children by creating and maintaining community gardens in Chicago schools. WBEZ is partnering with three of the gardens supported by the Gardneers: Hay Elementary, Oglesby Elementary, and Rowe Elementary.

Project Type:

Environmental

Project Description:

In their inaugural growing season at the community gardens this spring, the Gardneers will be serving 4 schools and over 100 students through direct garden lessons and work in the garden. The gardens are in the process of integrating produce into the each school’s cafeteria and this will increase the number of students served by the garden. Volunteers will help to grow and expand three of the gardens through much needed maintenance of the each garden

With volunteer help, more prep work can be done, more beds are created, more plants are planted and this results in more wholesome, healthy, fresh food that is integrated into the cafeteria of all 3 schools. WBEZ volunteers will dig out already existing garden beds, move compost/ soil into the beds, plant seedlings into the beds, fertilize and water seedlings, and pick up trash around surrounding school yard.

The more prep work that is done, the more beds that are created, the more plants that are planted means that more wholesome, healthy, fresh food can be integrated into the cafeteria of these schools. Build more garden beds, fill beds with soil/ compost, paint garden beds, plant seedlings, water seedlings, plant bulbs/ flowers in surrounding school yard, pick up trash in surrounding school yard