Fort Caroline Elementary School

Plant Food ROCKS’ school garden project is expanding. Our newest partner is Fort Caroline Elementary School (FCES).

We’re excited about this project because this wonderful school has a lot of available space to create multiple school gardens. We’re starting with one edible vegetable garden. When the resources become available, we will expand to include another vegetable garden and some landscaping.

Like our initial school, Merrill Road Elementary School, FCES is located in the Arlington area of Jacksonville. This Title I school serves approximately 653 students in grades PK-5. The student body is largely minority with 70% of students being African American and 10% Hispanic.

This project will be operated through the school’s newly formed Green Team. This club has an environmental focus that teaches the students the importance of the environment and the role they can play to making the world safer. A primary role of the club will be the beautification of their school campus through recycling and picking up trash. A very simple, yet effective strategy.

Since gardens do so much to improve the environment and to beautify communities, we thought an edible school garden would be a natural fit. Fortunately, the school’s principal agreed with us.

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), Family Nutrition Program is partnering with us on this project as well. PFR is excited to continue this partnership with UF. They were a crucial partner for our first school garden.

The FCES school garden project will launch before the end of the year.