Schools
Are You Celebrating National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month?
Russell Elementary School recently received a $500 grant from Jamba Juice and the National Garden Association; limited plots still available at the Smyrna Community Garden.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor way,” is what Mom always said, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture thinks you need more fruits and veggies to stay healthy. That’s why it’s made June National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month. Luckily for Smyrna-Vinings residents, fresh produce is widely available.
A survey posted on the U.S.D.A. Healthy Meals Resource System website found that over the past 25 years children have started eating more pizza, candy and savory snack foods in addition to drinking more carbonated sodas and non-fruit juices. Overall children drink less milk and eat fewer vegetables than they did 25 years ago.
in Smyrna has taken steps to combat this trend and their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. The school recently received a $500 grant from Jamba Juice and the National Garden Association.
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The money will be used to plant fruit trees at the school. Russell Elementary was one of 20 schools nationwide chosen because it “engages children and young people as learners, explorers, leader and nurturers in outdoor garden settings.”
Fresh fruits and vegetables aren’t just for kids, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention encourages adults to find out how many servings of fruits and vegetables they should eat based on their age, sex and activity level.
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Keep Smyrna Beautiful is making it easy for adults and kids alike to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables with its community garden program. The community garden was designed for Smyrna residents who don’t have the space to plant fruits and vegetables in their yards or who live in apartments.
Dianne Sudduth and her sister Sherry Kaiser have rented a plot in the garden since fall 2010.
“I love the garden,” said Sudduth. “Everybody down here’s friendly, everybody down here’s fun and we’re learning from each other.”
The community garden is located at North Cooper Lake Park and plot sizes and rental fees vary. But act fast, there are only 11 plots still available.
However, if you can’t wait to grow your own fresh vegetables, you can buy some at Smyrna’s Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon in the parking lot of on Church Street.
Shopping at the fresh produce market doesn’t just benefit your health, explained Ann Kirk, director of Keep Smyrna Beautiful.
“Our goal with the produce market was to have fresh seasonal produce and support local growers,” Kirk said.
Most of the produce offered at the market comes from Georgia growers. There’s also a selection of organic produce.