The Educational EarthBox®
Institutional Garden Package Testimonials
Grow Broome 2006
“Working with the United Way of Broome County and 14 other human service agencies, 120 earthboxes were used to grow fresh vegetables to be donated to the county hunger relief program. The ease of use with the EarthBoxes became quite apparent with the agencies we worked with including a youth science program, a treatment and housing program for homeless people with addictions and mental illness, a group home for troubled youth, a program working with the physical and mentally disabled, a senior citizen community center, and youth serving programs like the Boys and Girls Clubs and the YMCA. With the guidance of a group of experienced gardeners, all these programs were able to not only grow fresh vegetables but to also provide their clients with a basic understanding of food production.
We highly recommend the EarthBox for any type of community-based growing activity not only to increase the amount of fresh vegetables but also for the invaluable learning experience for those involved.”
— John Sterlacci
Executive Director, Universal Education Foundation, Inc.
Binghamton, N.Y.
(names of agencies: Discovery Center, Fairview Recovery Services, Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference, Johnson City Community Senior Center, Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton, and the Broome County YMCA.)
The Educational EarthBox Supports Adjudicated Youth
“The EarthBox has been a wonderful asset while working with the NYS Juvenile Justice System. Youth in several facilities have been able to utilize the EarthBox to learn responsibility, develop job skills, engage in science education and learn about healthy food choices. In addition youth in the facilities have been able to engage local communities in a positive way by providing fresh food to local food banks where the facilities are located. Each facility has been able to adapt the Earth Box to their own needs and wants.
Several youth are learning entrepreneurial skills that will change how they perceive earning a living. Many youth are producing a real product for the first time in their lives and feel incredibly empowered as a result of the Earth Box Program.
The EarthBox program has also been able to transform the relationship between Facility Staff and the youth. Those staff who work with the ‘boxes’ and the youth feel that they are no longer seen as just the ‘guard’ but are both working toward producing a common positive outcome.
Perhaps more importantly than all of the above impacts, youth have learned that they can have a positive effect on their own lives and with those that share their lives.
— Benjamin Wood
President, Pathways Projects, Inc.