New Growing Power program donates gardens to day cares

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Sunlight and six feet of space is all day cares need in order to put quality food into little bellies. The nonprofit urban farming organization, Growing Power, has announced a new program that will install gardens into 50 licensed Milwaukee day cares.

"I think it is amazing. I am glad someone stepped forward and decided to do it," says Open Doors Learning Center Supervisor Misskiquisha Kelly.

"This is just another, what I call -- a piece of the food system puzzle," says Growing Power CEO Will Allen.

These day cares don't even need a yard!

Growing Power will place two feet of its nutrient rich compost on top of concrete or existing soil to plant organically grown Cherry and Roma tomatoes.

"Last year, we composted 40 million pounds of waste materials that would've wound up in the landfill into high fertility soil," says Allen.

This service is already offered to schools, but Allen wants to teach kids the importance of gardening and eating vegetables before they enter kindergarten.

"This particular project is really about getting them used to the taste of good food that will stay with them throughout their lives," says Allen.

Employees and kids at Open Doors Learning Center are thrilled about its newest addition, which will be put to good use.

"We`re going to use it for our snacks, we`re going to use it for our meals, and if our garden gets big enough, we`re going to send some home with them to their parents because not everyone can`t afford tomatoes," says Kelly.

These little gardens can go a long way in building healthier lifestyles for our future generation.

All of the gardens will be planted by the end of June, and this will become an annual program.

For more information on how to apply log onto http://www.growingpower.org/outreach_projects.htm