As part of this year’s ‘Let’s GROW’ initiative, a further 50,000 primary school children will grow their own food for the chance to win a new school garden to the value of €1,000.
This is the second year for the food growing initiative, in association with grow it yourself (GIY) and SuperValu.
The 2024 nationwide campaign was launched today (Wednesday, February 28) at Solas Chríost National School in Tallaght, Co. Dublin, where students were crowned the winners of the 2023 initiative.
The school had developed and adopted their own food growing grading system that accessed how the pupils made food growing even more interesting via creativity and imagination.
Last year’s winning teacher, Alan McDonnell, was teaching first class at the time and said that the students are “excited” to get involved in the campaign again this year.
McDonnell took interest in Let’s GROW due to his family farming background in Co. Clare and wanted to introduce the students to the “skills of gardening”, along with educating them on where their produce comes from.
Let’s Grow 2024
Each school that participates in the campaign receives a ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ classroom pack, featuring tools for both food growing and food literacy education designed by GIY.
The 2024 packs will include a variety of seeds such as cress, peas, salad leaves, beans and sunflowers.
The pack will also comprise of 32 compostable pots, 32 magic compost discs and an expert GIY resource booklet with growing guides, lessons and activities created by GIY.
GIY founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Kelly said that the rollout this year will mean that Lets GROW will have given 100,000 children the chance to grow their own food.
“We’ve made it really simple for teachers to do this and really accessible for kids to take part. Then we pick the most engaged school as the winner and they receive a €1,000 school garden,” Kelly said.
Research carried out by GIY shows that when children grow some of their own food they develop what we call “food empathy”, a deeper connection with food, which is proven to lead to a healthier lifestyle.
SuperValu managing director Ian Allen said: “It empowers long life lesson for the kids. They are learning how to grow plants, they can bring the plants home, they’re having the fun of growing the plants, they are getting to understand the process.”
“This initiative will have empowered 100,000 primary school students to grow their own food, fostering a deeper understanding of healthy eating, sustainability, and the lifelong benefits of cultivating one’s own food,” Allen added.
School teachers or families looking to start their own growing journey can apply online for a free ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ food growing pack.