STAUNTON — Several teens from the Valley got their hands dirty this summer while cultivating a green thumb.
Youth workers showcased their growth and knowledge of farming and agriculture Tuesday at the Project GROWS’ farm by giving tours of the food they helped plant and harvest.
It was all a part of Project GROWS’ eight-week paid summer program, known as Youth Leaders and Agriculture Program, or YLA, for short.
“They’re not just grunting labor,” said Nichole Barrows, director of education at Project GROWS, of the youth that participated in the summer program. “They’ve really been invited into understanding how the process of food production works, so they help us grow things in the greenhouse, they help us transplace amounts into the field, they know how to harvest each vegetable.”
Katie Weaver, a recent graduate of Stuarts Draft High School, said her experience with the program has been “incredible.”
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“It’s not like your typical farm job where you just come, work on the field, and go home,” said Weaver, who has had an interest in farming and agriculture since middle school. “Learning the [sic] organization’s mission, learning things that don’t necessarily relate to putting something in the ground are the stuff I can take.”
Weaver, who plans to attend Bridgewater College this fall to study health and exercise science, hopes to use what she learned this summer at college.
“Maybe not so much of the agricultural aspects, but just lessons I’ve learned here such as time management, kind of following through to learn the constructive and positive feedback, and how to communicate well,” she said.
Rosie Clarke, a recent graduate of Fort Defiance High School, said she learned a lot during her second year with Project GROWS.
“I think I came to it at a good age to start learning soft skills for a job like communication, raising my voice when I’m speaking to people so that they can hear me, working well with others, being welcoming to visitors,” she said.
The students would often work from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and help farm staff with planting and harvesting various vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchinis and kales on the 10-acre farm. They also have grown sunflowers, cosmos and marigolds plants. In addition, the program takes the workers on field trips to places such as Ballerino Creamery and Joan’s Community Garden to connect with farmers and learn about how they navigated challenges.
While farming and local farmer markets are prominent in the Valley, food insecurity and childhood obesity have been an issue. In 2019, Augusta Health surveyed 88 community members and 61% said nutrition and physical activity were top of the list of needs.
Megan Marshall, director of food access, said Project GROWS went out to interview residents in public housing complexes about food accessibility needs.
“We found that there were high percentages of residents in the area that are experiencing difficulty accessing foods, transportation barriers, and financial barriers to accessing foods,” she said. “One thing that’s kind of interesting in this area is that we have rural communities out in Augusta County, but in Staunton specifically it’s not necessarily a barrier because of proximity to a [grocery] store, but it’s because of poverty that people are experiencing where they can’t afford fresh produce.”
Food security can be affected because of the high prices of produce, the location of the residences, and even the short opening hours of the farmer’s markets. However, Barrows said that Project GROWS works with local organizations to try and find ways for people to more easily buy healthy produce.
“We’ve been privileged to do across the community is getting to talk to partner organizations that know our clientele better than we do,” she said. “So, and asking, ‘how can Project GROWS can provide this resource in a way that’s going remove some of those barriers to healthy food?’”
Despite the challenges faced by farmers and local business owners, Barrows saw the YLA workers progressively gain a greater interest in farming, despite having little to no experience with gardening.
“We really love that about the program and it’s different for each student, of course,” she said. “So, one way we get to see them change over time is to watch their interest in farming blossom.”
Project GROWS, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the health of children and youth, collaborated with the Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County school systems to encourage students who are interested to apply.
