Secure the Future of School Gardens
In 2020, we used school gardens to grow and donate 8,500 pounds of fresh produce to local food banks. We created 7 new video lessons, in English and Spanish, to assist teachers and parents with home learning. We published our Home Garden Resource Guide to support home gardeners in growing the garden of their dreams.
No one knows for sure what 2021 will bring. We do know that school gardens can continue to provide fresh produce for families in need and outdoor learning spaces for kids (hopefully) returning to school.
Additionally, we will be updating our curriculum to meet new academic standards, translating all new materials into Spanish, offering professional development for teachers who want to teach outdoors, maintaining 20 abundant school gardens and installing bilingual signage so that everyone knows they are welcome in their school garden. If this feels important to you, please help to secure the future of school gardens with a donation today.
Avery Brewing Co. and Xcel Energy are teaming up to create a fun and impactful year-end campaign in support of your school gardens. For the first 50 donors at the $100+ level, Avery Brewing Co. will provide a 12-pack of beer. Pickup locations will be available in north, south and east Boulder for your convenience. Xcel Energy Foundation is matching all year-end gifts up to $7,500, doubling the impact of your donation.



Environmental Education for a Changing World
To build resilience in a changing world, we need to educate our youth about the environment and teach them skills that will help them to live well and heal the earth. Garden to Table believes that garden education can do exactly this. Students with an understanding of ecological processes and an ethic of environmental stewardship will be able to solve problems and create solutions for a more regenerative world. Our school garden program provides the content and the context for impactful learning.
Health Education for At-Risk Youth
Children who grow their own food are more likely to eat it and to express a preference for fruits and vegetables. At a time in history when rates of new diagnosed cases of diabetes are on the rise for kids and teens, especially among minority groups, it is imperative that we teach all students the importance of healthy eating and active living. Equally important are the skills needed to grow their own food and the opportunity to develop a taste for fresh fruit and vegetables. Garden education has the ability to do exactly this and our standards-based curriculum is designed to engage children in this type of learning.
Teacher Support to meet District Goals
We are the only school garden support organization serving Boulder County. As academic standards change, teachers are asked to implement new teaching strategies and curriculum in their classrooms. Garden to Table provides a standards-based, hands-on curriculum for teachers to use in their school gardens. Our curriculum is designed to address the Next Generation Science Standards and the 2020 Colorado Academic Standards, and is being translated into Spanish to allow for better participation by an increasing Hispanic population. Each school has access to a private website with curriculum documents, scheduling tools and gardening resources.
Our school has unanimously chosen year after year to renew our contract with Garden to Table because of the quality of support they offer, the benefit to students and the ease of use for teachers.
Amber Billington, Fireside Elementary 3rd grade teacher