More Info on MarketKids!

The MarketKids project will provide children (ages 6 – 12) with a unique, free experience of what it takes to bring food to the market, from seeds to sales, taking them beyond basic gardening to a broader appreciation of the planning, skill-development, and discipline that go into having a market business. This project will enlist 40 children who will attend monthly workshops and market selling days in the months from April – October 2014. The workshops will take place at the Blacksburg Farmers Market and The Price House Nature Center and will be facilitated by an AmeriCorps VISTA, the market director, area volunteers.

At the workshops, each child will receive seeds, seedlings, gardening tools, and soil enhancements at the beginning of the gardening season, as well as lessons and instructional materials on the aforementioned topics. They will be encouraged to plant container or backyard gardens, with parental assistance, designed to meet their own individual capacity. All participating children will be invited to attend designated MarketKids events at the regular weekly market, where they will be permitted to sell the produce from their gardens.

On top of the monthly workshops, MarketKids participants will have the opportunity to participate in a weekly garden hour at The Price House Nature Center, where they can serve their communities and learn more about growing food as they take part in the MarketKids Hunger Relief Demonstration Garden. All collective produce grown will be donated to area food pantries.

MarketKids gets its first funding!

MarketKids is ending hunger on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) thanks to the recent grant awarded by The Sodexo Foundation! On April 12th, MarketKids will commence its 2014 program as a part of GYSD. During this special event the kids will have a lesson on nationwide hunger issues and how they can be a part of the solution through service. Program participants will then start their service journey by learning the basics of starting vegetable seeds in egg-carton containers. These seeds will serve as the foundation for the MarketKids Hunger-Relief Demonstration Garden, located at The Price House Nature Center, a few blocks from the Farmers Market. From April-October, the participating children will have the opportunity to come to a weekly garden hour, and serve their community by tending to the plants, while simultaneously developing a strong foundation of knowledge that will aid them in their own gardening endeavors. All collective produce harvested from the garden will be donated to local hunger relief organizations such as Share the Spare and Plenty (http://www.plentylocal.org/).