Youth & Family Services (YFS) is excited to announce the creation of its new raised-bed garden at the organization’s 120 East Adams Street site. The garden is part of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and National Head Start Association’s GroMoreGood Garden Grants initiative, which seeks to connect one million Head Start children across the country to garden education and fresh food. Additionally, Live Well Black Hills awarded YFS a grant to support this project.

YFS received a GroMoreGood garden grant—totaling $3,350—to help create a new raised-bed garden on the 32,000+ sq. ft. playground that exists between YFS’ Child Development Center and Girls Inc. of Rapid City programs. This grant is paying for garden supplies and garden education sessions for the children. The $500 grant from Live Well Black Hills purchased materials to build the raised-bed garden boxes, soil, plants, seeds, and garden tools for children. Once the project is complete, children enrolled in YFS’ programs will be able to utilize the new raised-bed garden for garden and nutrition education purposes.   

According to Sharon Oney, YFS Chief Grants Officer, “We are honored to receive grant support for this project. It is our hope that this garden will help to improve the lives of the children and families we serve.”

Through the GroMoreGood Garden Grants Initiative, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and The National Head Start Association will work together to combat some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s youngest generation, improving access to healthy food and increasing time spent outdoors connected to nature. The three-year program will make garden grants, garden kits, educational curriculum, and garden training available to all Head Start programs with the goal of creating more edible gardens and hands-on learning experiences for young children.

On Friday, June 11, children from YFS’ Rapid City Head Start and Girls Inc. of Rapid City programs gathered to spread soil and plant a variety of plants in the new raised-bed garden. Plants that were transferred into the garden included squash, peas, tomatoes, and carrots.