6 Schools Receive $1,000 State Nutrition Grants

To help educate children about the importance of nutrition while helping them learn about gardening, the California Department of Education has awarded Garden-Enhanced Nutrition Education Grants to 20 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Each school, including six in the San Fernando Valley, received a $1,000 grant from the department’s Nutrition Education and Training Program, said Erick Mata, coordinator of the school district’s Grants Assistance Unit.

Funds will be used to purchase garden and nutrition handbooks and garden supplies, such as seeds, fertilizer, tools and compost bins, Mata said.

“The purpose of this grant is to help foster healthier eating and greater understanding and appreciation of where food comes from and how it gets from the farm to the table,” he said.

Valley area schools receiving grants are Holmes Middle School, Northridge; Van Gogh Elementary, Granada Hills; Calabash Street Elementary, Woodland Hills; Haynes Street Elementary, West Hills; Encino Elementary, Encino, and Lowman Special Education Center, North Hollywood.