Garden of Eatin'

NBCC in 2004 was awarded a grant from Marin First Five Children and Family Commission to establish on-site gardens as a part of a comprehensive childhood obesity prevention program. The three-year, $150,000 grant helped establish one of California's first on-site learning gardens for children under the age of five.  Now into its fifth year of operation, the Garden of Eatin' Project services a total of nine North Bay Early Childhood Education centers. Marin Head Start and Marin County Children's Development Program are key partners in driving the success of the project.  Please view the video about our programs below.

David Haskell, Garden Of Eatin’ Director &
  Susan Gilmore, NBCC Executive Director

David shares...NBCC "Garden Kids" learn how to grow, harvest and (most of all) eat fresh fruits and vegetables. The children not only learn where their food comes from but also how eating fresh contributes to good health. The children's taste buds are trained to enjoy the many flavors of fresh natural foods. Garden of Eatin' staff also provides innovative in-depth training to teachers in physical and nutritional education. The gardens provide the focus to promote healthy eating where the children, along with their families, learn to make healthier choices.

Susan shares a personal story...“While sitting in NBCC’s main garden this Fall, taking in the joy and exuberance of the children as they tasted tomatoes and captured roly-poly’s, I was overcome with the beauty, enchantment, and hands on nutritional experiences we have created for our children and their families through our Garden of Eatin’ program. The corn is at least 12 feet tall. The green bean cave has turned into a green bean jungle. Basil and parsley have taken over where chard and kale once grew. Strawberries have never been more abundant – even though the crop is picked over daily. And, the pumpkins have announced their arrival almost overnight.

What amazes me most about this particular garden is that it was completely barren several months ago due to our major gopher- proofing project. Thanks to the hands on work of the Ignacio Rotary, Marin Permaculture Group, Life Support Mission Group, and Sustainable San Rafael volunteers, combined with Gardener Dave’s daily attention to his new seedlings, this year’s summer crop has grown well beyond our wildest imagination. “