Students of the Gardening Education Training program were drilling, building and straightening up at their new location Wednesday morning.
They were busy preparing their garden for production.
The program is hosted through Alachua County's Farm to School to Work Hub. The hub expanded from its location at Loften High School to the Horizon Center this fall to give students more space to grow, aggregate and process food that can be distributed to local schools for lunches.
Through the program, students with disabilities train for careers in gardening, farming or food service environments after they graduate. The grand vision for the program is to create a place for students to learn about the food system and participate, said Kelli Brew, the program's coordinator for Alachua County
“They’re great workers and they understand what they’re supposed to do,” Brew said.
The new location, the Horizon Center, and the original location, Loften High, are only one-tenth of a mile from each other, which allows students to walk back and forth between gardens.
"This little group, in this little place, is affecting thousands of students in the district," Brew said. “It’s really rewarding to help them find that for themselves.”
The hub also acquired a new processing kitchen next to the gardening space, which will be a place for students to learn the importance of food safety.
Along with the larger space and new kitchen, the number of currently enrolled students in their class has doubled since last year, the program's inaugural year. It now has seven full-time students who learn and work on-site every day.
Arthur Seabrooks, 18, has been with the program since last year. Brew referred to Seabrooks as “basically a teacher now."
Seabrooks said he doesn't really have a favorite vegetable in his garden, but if he had to choose one it would be broccoli.
"I like growing different vegetables and produce, and working in the kitchen," he said. “I really enjoy everything here.”
Melissa DeSa, the garden coordinator for the Alachua County Farm to School to Work Hub, said the students take pride in transforming the space.
“They build it all from the ground up,” she said.
David Campbell, a food systems coordinator for the program, said he thinks programs like these are crucial for student health and nutrition — both for working students and for students receiving food in schools.
Students attending local schools don’t have the option to try new, healthy foods, Campbell said. So programs like Gardening Education and Training give them that opportunity.
"It’s such a beautiful connection between healthier children and healthy local economy, local farms, healthy farming products and gardening products," Brew said.