MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) – Since the 1990s, the Living Earth Center has focused on educating the people of Mankato about growing and preparing food and involving them in the process.
“We have long known that children who grow their own food are more likely to eat it,” says Laura Marsala Peterson.
The organization is aimed specifically at young people.
“The whole idea is to get them outside, get them active and get them into these community grow spaces,” Peterson said.
To this end, the organization recently launched the “Seed to Sauce” program.
“We had the idea of how cool it would be if we could involve children in the process of growing food from seeds – so that they plant the seed and then become part of its life cycle,” said Cora Uyigue.
But while the program has generated a lot of interest, the organization has faced the problem of funding… until now. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has awarded the Living Earth Center a multi-year grant.
“The grant is designed to get young people from urban and suburban areas involved in community agriculture, essentially community programs,” Peterson said.
This year, 1,000 children participated in their program. Now the organization can look to the future.
“I hope that more young people will get involved and that there will be more field trips to community farms so that children can see where their seeds are planted and the impact their farming has on the community,” Uyigue said.
To learn more about the Seeds to Sauce program, click here: https://www.livingearthcentermn.org/get-involved/overview.html
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