Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest has broken ground on a new project that will connect high school students with seniors in the community.
On May 23, the school hosted a celebration to kick off The Truth About Youth community garden project.
The project is an initiative of the Alternative Education Program at Wellington Heights.
The group of students has already had an amazing year engaging with community members by doing things for others including raking leaves, picking up branches, mulching gardens and shoveling fire hydrants. During a visit the students made to a local seniors home, some of the residents mentioned that they wished they had a place to grow vegetables.
It was at that moment that the high school community garden project was born.
The garden will feature multiple raised beds on the school grounds and food grown in the garden will be shared with the local food bank, school programs and community growers.
The project tackles a variety of issues, ranging from food insecurity to environmental sustainability, while connecting youth and community members in a meaningful way.
The project has received support from the local businesses and the horticultural society.
Project sponsors include the Township of Wellington North council, Kindred Credit Union, Scotiabank, All Treat Farms, Reeves Construction, and the UGDSB Community Connected Experiential Learning Fund.
At the May 23 celebration, students, staff and community members launched the project.
