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Gardening gives school families produce in food desert area of Denver

Posted at 4:30 AM, Jun 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-03 12:32:56-04

DENVER — A local school is providing families with access to produce in a food desert area of Denver with few grocery stores nearby.

Clayton Early Learning partnered with Colorado businesses to plant new fruit, vegetables and herb plants in garden beds on the school property on Thursday.

The gardens will serve two purposes in the coming months by providing hands-on science learning labs for children and giving fresh produce to their families.

Clayton operates two schools, directly serving more than 800 students coming from primarily low-income backgrounds. Clayton places a particular emphasis on health and nutrition as part of its ongoing curriculum.

Designscapes Colorado, a locally owned landscaping company, is celebrating its 25th year in business by giving back to the community through the garden project at Clayton. Workers organized and planted plants in 20 vegetable gardens on the school campus. Another Colorado company, Hardy Boy Plants, donated the plants to the school.

The Clayton gardens and fresh produce are providing the basis for Moonbeam Harvest, an annual fundraising event benefiting the school. The event is happening on September 15 on the Clayton Campus. For more information, click here.