About The Edible Peace Patch Project

Our Mission

The Edible Peace Patch Project’s mission is to cultivate healthy minds and bodies through hands-on educational gardens producing successful individuals and thriving communities.

Our educational gardens are located primarily in Title 1 elementary schools in Pinellas County. Title 1 schools have a high percentage of children from low-income families and are often located in food deserts. Our goal is to have educational gardens in all of the Title I elementary schools and their surrounding communities in the Tampa Bay area. These educational gardens are built through community partnerships and with local resources.

The Edible Peace Patch Project envisions a world in which all children live in a supportive environment, have every opportunity open to them, and have the skills and confidence to achieve a healthy, happy and productive life.

Staff are well trained and professional, engaging the students though hands-on lessons, disciplined and practical results, and a lot of fun. Additionally, our curriculum meets Florida State standards and emphasizes science, wellness, and healthy eating.

How does it work?

Each class meets once per week and focuses on a different aspect of gardening and nature. Lessons can range from insects, compost, to planting seeds. Students are encouraged to try new vegetables and plants in the garden to help develop their knowledge and increase confidence in trying new things. At the end of this eight week program, celebrations are held in the form of "Harvest Festivals"; students and educators harvest all of the food growing in the gardens. The food is sent home with the students, along with a packet of seeds and recipe book from EPPP staff.

Garden-based learning has a positive impact on students’ grades, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. It also shows increased test scores (specifically in science), willingness to taste vegetables and overall taste ratings of vegetables, increase in children’s fruit and vegetable consumption, increased nutrition knowledge of fruits and vegetables, increased physical activity, and strengthens and reinforces positive social skills.

Since 2009, the Edible Peace Patch Project has been cultivating healthy minds and bodies in St Petersburg. It all began with our first garden at Lakewood Elementary School, a Title 1 school on the south side of St. Petersburg. A group of Eckerd College students convinced one of their professors to guide them in planning, installing and planting a schoolyard garden. The group began developing academic lessons that used the gardens as an outdoor laboratory and classroom to connect statewide elementary school learning standards to direct, hands-on education for students. The name, the Edible Peace Patch Project, was chosen by a group of 5th graders at Lakewood Elementary.

Since then, we have expanded to eight schoolyard gardens where we provide an in-school education program, an after-school program, and a families program. Our curriculum was developed alongside the Pinellas County School Board, and has continued to evolve as we learn and grow. Our afterschool program provides as opportunity for students to learn from community leaders, in the realms of gardening, ecological awareness, sustainability, and nutrition.

Weekly Garden Workdays
From August to May, we host volunteer service days in one or more of our schoolyard gardens. This gives you a chance to get your hands dirty and meet some fellow community gardeners. The typical workday runs from 9 am to 12 pm. Tasks include planting, weeding, general maintenance and harvesting.

Suggested items to bring to garden service days:

Water bottle
Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
Closed-toed shoes
Personal garden gear (gloves, tools, stool)

Before coming out to the garden, please complete this online form: here

This form should be completed as soon as possible, ideally a week ahead of when you will be volunteering.

Garden Education Volunteer
This program gives ambitious college students and community members an opportunity to teach dynamic elementary students in our schoolyard gardens. As a member of the program, you will discover the value of experiential learning and sustainable urban agriculture while gaining skills in education and mentorship.

This is a consecutive 8-week commitment, meeting with your class once a week in the garden, for 45 minutes. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, and have a reliable mode of transportation to classes.

Before coming out to the garden, please complete this online form: here

This form should be completed as soon as possible, ideally a week ahead of when you will be volunteering.