Franklin Hill Club has learned a great deal about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle and it has been made possible by Fresh Truck. Fresh Truck partners with Boys & Girls Club of Boston with the goal of increasing access to healthy fresh fruits and vegetables for members, families, and community members. Members are able to grab a basket and head on into the truck to start shopping.
“I have never tried gardening in general and I have never watered a garden before, I think it was pretty cool,” explained Xaiana, a Franklin Hill Club member.
Fresh Truck at Franklin Hill Club was led by Courtney Ignace, who is a Market Manager at Fresh Truck, an organization created to bring fresh food to neighborhoods across Boston. They operate retrofitted school buses to create mobile markets. Franklin Hill Club started its own community garden with the help of Home Depot, where they have lessons and learn how fresh fruits and vegetables grow, where they come from, when to plant, how to take care of a garden, and more.
The Club partners with Green City Growers to learn the impact of where food comes from, and the value in caring for the environment. “Planting vegetables; I think it teaches kids how to care of things,” says Noah Wurtz, Green City Grower. “It teaches them how to care of the environment and for themselves.”
Talia, a member who was learning about gardening and fresh produce, includes her knowledge of money management when speaking on the importance of knowing how to garden. “I think it is important for my friends and I to know how to garden because then we can make more food out of growing plants and so we don’t have to go out shopping,” says Talia.
Such programming opportunities as this exemplify the diversity of programming offered across Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. “Most kids like getting their hands dirty and trying new things and they’re always curious. I want them to become self-sufficient so even if we add on to this garden—hopefully we will add on more beds for the community—we can all do it together,” says Ashley Simpson, Director of Franklin Hill Club.
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