In 2007, we planted the seeds of the school garden movement in our community and it continues to grow.
Our History
DIGS (Developing Instructional Gardens in Schools) was started in 2007, by a group of passionate and hardworking garden educators. We gathered to discuss the needs, and concerns that schools have in establishing and maintaining school garden programs in the West Contra Costa School District. We developed a strategy to address school garden issues. We needed more staff, more supplies, a larger budget, and a bigger team to support our work. Together, we planted the seeds of the school garden movement in our community and it continues to grow.
DIGS Founding Steering Committee includes Joanna Pace, Molly Wahl, Patricia Gangwer, Tony Ramirez, Graciella Rossi, Paula Kristovich, Kelli Barram, Megan Larranaga.
Building Community Resilience
We sow seeds of hope and make our schools beautiful places to connect with nature in a school district where students face economic, equity, and health challenges. Research shows that spending time in nature builds resilience and self-confidence in kids; reduces obesity and attention deficit disorder symptoms; and improves focus, behavior, and learning. We build our community's resilience by cultivating wellness, academic achievement, and sustainable practices. Our gardens reflect and celebrate the diversity of our communities and promote inclusivity.
Adapting to COVID-19 School Closures
The Coronavirus Pandemic and school closures have plunged more families into stressful situations with mental health, eating disorders, and academic difficulties becoming more prevalent. We do not have all the answers but we want to be part of the team that puts together our passion, creativity, and intelligence to create a better and more sustainable future. Young people will play a vital role in creating this design. We are working with our partners to respond to the different needs and challenges that are arising.
DIGS has been successful at providing garden programming without access to school gardens during the pandemic. While we would rather be digging in the dirt with children, we have dug deeper into online learning. We kept our families connected to nature and learning about health, wellness, and nutrition. We have conducted a regular schedule of classroom online learning sessions, amped up our social media education, produced a Nutrition Activity Guide for educators, and given away a greenhouse full of plants to over 60 families in Richmond. The result is that families of all colors are sharing the mission of growing gardens, connecting their children to nature, and healthy eating at home. We are confident that we can work as a team with our partners to overcome the many challenges that lay ahead.