Local students help grow South Lake Hospital Community Garden
In preparation for the planting ceremony, nearly 50 students from East Ridge High School, Lake Minneola High School, South Lake High School and Clermont Middle School are joining together to construct new garden boxes.
MEDIA CONTACT
Kim Couch
352.241.7122
[email protected]
CLERMONT, Fla. —The Fall Planting of South Lake Hospital’s Community Garden is Thursday, Sept. 26, at 5:30 p.m., in the garden area of the hospital’s LiveWell Campus. In preparation for the planting ceremony, nearly 50 students from East Ridge High School, Lake Minneola High School, South Lake High School and Clermont Middle School are joining together on the hospital campus Monday, Sept. 23, to construct new garden boxes.
“We are extremely excited to partner with local schools and youth groups to enhance and ‘grow’ the garden,” said Sheri Olson, director of the South Lake Hospital Foundation. “It is going to be a wonderful sight having the students from the FFA (Future Farmers of America) and Agriscience classes from these schools on our campus preparing the garden for our community to grow their own organic vegetables.”
In addition to the FFA/Agriscience students, the South Lake Unit of the Lake & Sumter Boys and Girls Clubs will also be participating in the planting of the community garden this year.
“The Lake & Sumter Boys and Girls Club is an amazing organization benefiting youth and the community garden ties in nicely with their Healthy Habits and Character and Citizenship programs,” Olson said. “Gardening can enable children to make better food choices, have an increased understanding of where our food comes from, and promote healthy nutrition and physical exercise, and we are delighted they will be planting, tending and harvesting alongside our other community gardeners.” Last season, various types of organic vegetables were harvested, including kale, eggplant, tomatoes, and more. During the fall season, participants are encouraged to plant vegetables such as beets, cabbage, cauliflower, greens, kale, lettuce, spinach and tomatoes.
Boxes for hobby gardeners begin at $25 for a 4’ x 4’ box. Sponsors or gardeners may choose to tend the garden themselves or donate it to a local youth organization. All contributions are tax deductible and proceeds will benefit site development and operations of the garden, as well as education workshops and seminars for gardeners and children. Current sponsors include Uncle Matt’s Organic, First Green Bank, West Orange Lumber, Shannon and Becky Elswick, and Jeanne Martel.
For more information about sponsorships or to reserve a garden box for planting, contact Sheri Olson at 352.536.8771 or [email protected].
About LiveWell South Lake Hospital Campus:
The LiveWell South Lake Hospital Campus includes the 122-bed non-profit hospital, in partnership with Orlando Health, Centre for Women’s Health, LiveWell Fitness Center, National Training Center, South Lake Endoscopy Center, South Lake Surgery Center and campus partners Special Olympics Florida, Brandy Johnson Global Gymnastics and several medical office buildings. South Lake Hospital has been serving the healthcare needs of the South Lake community since 1947 and employs 1,100 employees and has more than 200 physicians on its medical staff. The campus focuses on preventative healthcare through health, sports and fitness programming.
