On Wednesday morning, May 20, the raised gardens on Community Road were buzzing with activity, as preschool students spent the morning digging in the earth, planting vegetables and learning about gardening from their teachers.
Soon, the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor will be delivered to the Marblehead Food Pantry by the Manna Project to provide those struggling with food insecurity with fresh produce.
The class of preschoolers, led by JCC teacher Robin Mannion, got started at the gardens outside Temple Sinai at 11 a.m. and started cheerfully digging in the dirt, guided by volunteers and Clifton Lutheran Church Pastor Jim Bixby.
Next, they planted sprouts of peas, beans, spinach, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans and tomatoes, which they had been nurturing in the windowsills of the classroom for the past few months.
The vegetables will grow throughout the summer and be ready to harvest in the fall.
“We water them, we watch them sprout and when they’ve grown enough to plant into the garden, we then take them over to the garden and we plant them,” Mannion said. “The children just love watching things grow. They love to be part of it.”
The gardening project, now in its third year, is part of a large effort to provide fresh produce to local food pantries while teaching children about gardening and community service. The initiative is led by the Marblehead Manna project, an interfaith group affiliated with the Clifton Lutheran Church and Temple Sinai.
According to Bixby, who serves on the Manna Project’s board of directors, the gardening program represents a combination of the group’s two primary goals: providing food and educating the community.
“It’s a great teaching moment for the kids, when they grow the plants,” said Bixby. “It’s also a chance for them to participate in acts of service and charity.”
Barbara Rosenstroch digs through the soil at the raised garden beds on Community Road, before planting vegetables.
He spoke about how providing higher-quality fresh produce to food insecure families, who often have to settle for less expensive options, can help preserve their dignity even when they are going through a difficult situation.
“That dignity has been a guiding principle for us,” said Bixby. “So people shouldn’t feel ashamed or even feel afraid to ask for more nutritional food just because of poverty or because of a situation. I don’t think that that is right, so we want to make it as dignified as possible to lower those barriers.”
Founded as an interfaith effort, the Manna Project brings together volunteers from different religious backgrounds to support families facing food insecurity.
“It’s an inter-religious thing,” said Bixby.” We have Jewish people, Christians and Muslims working together on this because all of our faiths command that you really have to take care of people’s bodily needs, in particular hunger.”
Bixby also says that by working together to teach the next generation about service and compassion, they also help bridge the gaps and build relationships between people of different faiths.
“It’s humanizing, to know that the person you’re with is growing food and has dirty fingernails just like you do,” said Bixby. “We set out to do something that we can all do together, and naturally, dialogue happens. Friendships form. We grow in understanding with one another.”
Mannion spoke about the profound impact she thinks the experience of gardening has on her students, and how the lesson extends far beyond gardening. Through each seed planted she hopes the children learn that even small actions can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
“Through this hands-on process, the children are learning about science, nature, math, teamwork, responsibility, healthy foods and the importance of giving back to our community,” said Mannion. “They’re learning about their community, they’re learning about families that don’t have fruits or vegetables. They’re learning how to get back to their community.”
