The Center announces that CF Industries’ Port Neal complex (“CF”) has committed to funding the establishment and first year’s operation of a new Growers’ Academy and Community Garden on the Center’s campus.
The project will involve creating a vegetable garden and hosting a produce stand from which the community will be invited to take as much free produce as they can use. Children enrolled in a series of classes offered through the Growers’ Academy throughout the 2024 growing season will be responsible for the garden. After harvest and the completion of classes, the Center will host a graduation ceremony and picnic—featuring any produce from the garden that hasn’t been claimed—for the families of students who have completed the course.
CF is funding the project’s establishment and first year of operation with a $15,000 donation comprising two $7,500 gifts, one each in 2023 and 2024. CF team members were offered paid time off to contribute to the project by volunteering to help build and fill the raised beds that are required due to the sandy soil of the Center’s riverfront campus.
Education Coordinator Amanda Gibson leads the project and leans heavily on Facility Manager Joe Hlas to bring it to fruition. Says Gibson, “CF helped us out with a generous gift in 2022 to use toward the construction of our outdoor stage, the Spirit of Discovery. Now, they’ve come through again and we’re eternally grateful. The project is not only a great fit with our overarching goal of improving the quality of life in Siouxland, but it also represents our first foray into collaborating in a structured and potentially sustained way with a local business.”
Hlas, who has farmed near Kingsley for 35 years and been a carpenter in the off-season, has already started to oversee the preparation of the raised garden beds. As the project continues, he will also monitor the garden’s day-to-day condition and care.
Last October, he led a group of seven CF volunteers as they built raised garden beds and a canopy-like structure for the project. Since then Center personnel have printed the garden sign, planned and announced curriculum and invited the public to participate.
The Growers Academy classes will be highly informative and hands-on. Children will learn about plant and human nutrition, sustainability, pollination, the science behind producing healthy plants that bear food, and the benefits of including fresh produce in your diet. The course will be designed to instill a sense of ownership: students will be asked to help with all aspects of garden care, including preparing the plot, amending the soil, planting, watering, weeding, controlling pests, and harvesting their crops.
Program Goals
The Center and CF are joining forces to establish a sustainable, innovative program to teach kids about plant and human nutrition, and engender in them a sense of ownership and community. The project also strives to provide free, healthy produce to underserved communities.
Upcoming Classes
Benefits to Kids
4-7th Grade students who participate will learn about preparing soil, planting and maintaining a garden; plant and human nutrition; fertilizers; sustainability; incorporating healthy foods in their diets, and working together to support their community. Through healthy outdoor activity, they will also gain the knowledge and tools to become future gardeners.
Consider sponsoring your own project at the Center
The Center has exceptional physical assets that can be made available for any culturally enriching purpose. It encourages any individual, business, nonprofit, or service organization with an idea for using its spaces to call Development Director Lori Tagg Snow at 712-224-5242. For more information, the Center invites interested businesses, nonprofits, and service organizations to view content under the “What We Offer” tab of our website.
