Nemours re-commits to Adopt-a-Garden program

“Nemours partnership with HFHK continues to strengthen and grow, just like healthy foods enable students to grow healthier and stronger.” – Yvette Santiago, Director, Community Engagement

Adopts Carrie Downie, Eisenberg; funds Wilmington Manor

At the end of 2021, Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids quietly rolled out its Adopt-a-Garden program, with Nemours Children's Hospital as one of the first participants. For 2022, Nemours adopted Carrie Downie Elementary School, where Nemours hosts a student-based wellness center. Combating the social determinants of health throughout Delaware, and particularly within the Rt. 9 corridor between Wilmington and New Castle, is a key focus of Nemours' community outreach and partnerships. Nemours has committed to adopting Carrie Downie and Eisenberg Elementary. This agreement will also fund a new garden and program implementation at Wilmington Manor in Fall 2023.

All three schools are located within the Colonial School District. Expanding their commitment beyond Carrie Downie in 2023 is part of their Well Beyond Medicine strategic plan.

“Through our collective work, this support expands opportunities to increase education in the gardening growth and harvesting process. Our partnership with HFHK enables us to support community partners, schools, and kids in addressing food insecurities and nourishing growing bodies with nutritious produce that are consumed by the same students is the start of this process," stated Yvette Santiago, Director, Community Engagement at Nemours.

"We are delighted that Nemours sees value in helping us reach more students and fmailies with our program," said Anita Broccolino, HFHK Director, Community Engagement and Partnerships. "Not only does it support program continuity, but expansion to the 300+ students at Wilmington Manor, too. We firmly believe that this program should be in every school in Delaware and Nemours sees the value our Education Cultivation program brings to Delaware’s students and families.

"We are also grateful to Nemours for their commitment to HFHK's inaugural Garden Coordinator Workshop and Appreciation Dinner this November 4th. As HFHK enters its 15th year of garden education, we wanted to do something special and engaging and to really rally our community around our Garden Coordinators (who are volunteer teachers!). Nemours is the first commitment we secured in what we hope will become a yearly professional development experience for the teachers, while providing opportunities for our funders, donors, and friends to hear first-hand the wonders these educators witness due to our garden program," continued Broccolino.

"This is a great example of partnerships in education, health, and community coming together to support our goal of creating the healthiest generation of children!" said Santiago.