High Country Local First Grant Awarded to Two Rivers

Written by Luci Hancock, BRWIA AmeriCorps VISTA

Two Rivers was recently awarded a HCLF and Lettuce Learn grant, which garden coordinators will use to purchase storage bins and supplies to create borders for the school's garden beds. The intended outcome is to make the garden an even more inviting, organized, and engaging place for students to learn.

The school garden currently has 5 garden rows, a pollinator garden, a composting system, a miniature hoop house and a small cold frame. Classes schedule times to visit the garden throughout the school year.

The garden has also provided a valuable space for adults to learn about gardening, from volunteers who assist with weeding and other garden tasks to parents. The assistant garden coordinator Hannah had this to say about how the Two Rivers garden has affected her:
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"This is my first real hands-on experience managing a garden plot and I have grown as much as our plants have. It's been tough but I am grateful for the support I have received from our community. I love this little garden and all it stands for."

High Country Local First ​

For every Local First Rewards Card sold, High Country Local First donates $5 to support local school garden programs in Watauga and Ashe Counties. This grant cycle, Lettuce Learn and HCLF awarded three schools with grants to build or expand upon their garden-based educational programming.