Canyon School District Plants Seeds of Hope
After years of waiting, LifeStart Village plants its very own garden to serve families all year long.
Thanks to the support of Connie Crosby of the Canyon School District and their generous contributions, LifeStart Village now has its first ever garden planted just in time for the long summer days.
Connie and 10 other Canyon School District volunteers helped residents prepare their new garden by tilling, composting, and transplanting dozens of seedlings including peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, sweet pea, green beans, herbs, and flowers.
A special thanks to Entrada Adult High School’s 2021 Teacher of the Year, Dave Dau, for lending his gardening knowledge and expertise to the LifeStart Village garden. Not only did Dave personally grow all of the plants transplanted at LifeStart, but he has committed to helping educate staff and residents all the way up until the harvest.
Parents and children are invited to the garden during the season as they’ll learn all the little tricks that go into the making of a green thumb. Whether they prefer flowers for cutting or fruits for eating, there’s something for everyone in the LifeStart garden.
Many kids across the country have a limited exposure to garden-fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Too many times, their only encounter with such dreaded veggies like peas or greens beans come from a mushy, flavorless can. The true flavor of most fruits and vegetables can’t be found in the canned aisle, but can only be discovered in the garden.
To grow garden-fresh veggies allows children to taste the natural sugars that are in every bite, helping to broaden their palettes and knowledge season after season.
Not only does gardening help many expose gardeners to new flavors, but many studies have found the gardening actually helps relief stress and depression by the simple act of just putting your hands in the soil. Several studies have found that a bacteria found in soil called Mycobacterium vaccae has shown to increase the amount of natural serotonin released upon simple skin contact, helping to relieve anxiety and stress.
“There is a growing recognition that the microbiome can impact health in general and, more specifically, mental health,” says Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, president of the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.
A special thanks again to Connie Crosby of Canyon School District and Dave Dau of Entrada Adult High School for their support in helping plant seeds of hope in the first ever LifeStart Village garden.
