Kitah Gimel – 3rd Grade recently took a field trip to the Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz. The Homeless Garden Project is one of 22 national organizations using transitional employment as a means to support individuals transitioning out of homelessness. Their visit, which included volunteering in fields, was a perfect end-of-year journey considering the work and learning they have been doing together during the school year.
Ms. Kohn and Morah Rinat’s class took on the Yavneh garden as their class service-learning project. This past fall, 3rd & 4th grade families came together and helped prep the garden accomplishing big tasks like cutting overgrown branches and hauling invasive shrubs and weeds. The class continued efforts all year producing vegetables and herbs. Together, they harvested their produce, created recipes in the Yavneh learning kitchen, and shared yummy food as a class. Their garden work and product were integrated into their learning across all subjects all year long.
The third-grade class has been learning about community all year long. As a way to bring their learning altogether, the class is learning about four local nonprofits and the work they do to help our community. The students will be engaging in a PBL project in which they create a real-life product, sell the product for real money, and then write a persuasive essay to reflect on where they think the proceeds should go. The Homeless Garden Project is one of the nonprofits that students have been learning about.
The class also learned all about Miamodede’s ladder of Tzedakah and learned that providing a way for a person to sustain themselves is the highest level of Tzedakah. This was a chance for them to see this type of Tzedakah in action.
Kol HaKavod to the students for all their hard work volunteering on the farm and keeping up the Yavneh garden for all to enjoy. An extra big Kol HaKavod and thank you to Ms. Kohn and Morah Rinat for creating such a meaningful and engaging learning experience for our 3rd-grade class. #ThisIsY
About the Homeless Garden Project
In May of 1990, the Citizens Committee for the Homeless, a Santa Cruz County nonprofit, began a new project by opening the gates of an organic garden on Pelton Avenue.
The Homeless Garden Project would provide job training and meaningful work in a therapeutic environment. The Homeless Garden Project began as a place to provide sanctuary, refuge, and meaningful work within the healing space of the organic farm. Blossoming over time and furthering the project’s benefits, the farm harvests have provided an opportunity to support our vision and community through our CSA program, farm stand, and crafts, which are sold at our local Santa Cruz stores and online. LEARN MORE
