Ed Fund's Edible School Garden Initiative Needs To Grow

MIAMI (CBS4) -- The Education Funds' edible school garden nutrition initiative is improving the way South Florida kids eat. Now there's an effort to expand the program beyond its current 25 schools, but the Education Fund needs your help.

For four years, The Education Fund has been piloting an effort to use edible gardens as outdoor learning labs where children are inspired to eat healthier while learning math and science. Children plant, maintain, and harvest their very own vegetable garden, but the best part of the program is the kids get to eat what they plant.

Apiphanie Di Hill says she loves to eat the vegetables from her garden.

"We take mostly everything we plant in our garden and use it to eat. We make food out of it," said Hill.

Westview Elementary has been a participant for the past two years. School Principal Tracey Crews says it has changed her school.

"Parents have expressed that their children want to eat fresh vegetables at dinner so it really has made an impact," according to Crews.

The Education Fund wants more children to participate in this proven approach to obesity prevention, but can't expand without more support. One sponsor who is convinced everyone should help is Kathryn Dinkin, Miami President

for Wachovia.

"We know this program is good for our community, our teachers and our children," said Dinkin.

If you would like to sponsor a school or if your school would like to be part of the program next year, just visit http://www.educationfund.org/.