Broward schools get vegetable gardens | Miami Herald

Students at five Broward schools are getting a hands-on lesson in healthy eating with a new in-school vegetable garden program created by the Broward Education Foundation.

The “Garden Delights — Team Up for Healthy Choices” program is funded by donations from the Health Foundation of South Florida, Wells Fargo, and Flamingo Road Gardens Nursery. The program, which was recently launched in a groundbreaking ceremony at Maplewood Elementary School in Coral Springs, includes not only the planting of a vegetable garden but also lessons for students about gardening and healthy eating.

Each year, students in Broward Schools consume two million servings of chicken nuggets, 3.4 million servings of pizza, and 10 million pouches of juice, according to the Broward Education Foundation. The foundation, a nonprofit that raises money to benefit local schools, is touting the “Garden Delights” program as a way to combat childhood obesity by encouraging students to eat more vegetables.

In addition to Maplewood Elementary, the other participating schools are Endeavour Primary Learning Center in Lauderhill, Miramar Elementary, Dillard Elementary in Fort Lauderdale, and Discovery Elementary in Sunrise.