Students get serious about helping their neighbors in Plant a Row campaign

Muddy little hands, dirt covered knees and a virtual symphony of children's laughter surrounded the neatly spaced rows of dirt.

Among the smiles, though, was a seriousness of purpose.

"It's important to help other people and help them get along in their life," 10-year-old Brian Rathunde said.

The little seeds getting pushed into the soil are destined to create more than just a few carrots; they're charged with making the world a better place at the hands of students from Western Avenue School in Geneva.

A group of 44 kids, their parents, and two organizers spent the past four months getting ready for this year's Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign.

They're using the same garden bed they've cultivated for the past two years. Their approach, however, blossomed this year.

The youngsters toured Northern Illinois Food Bank, the recipient of their summer harvests, and Lazarus House, a homeless shelter affiliated with the food bank. A nutritionist taught them about the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables and a field trip to Dominick's introduced them to the types of produce they'll be growing.

Sandy Livingston, one of the duo driving this year's program, said she set out to do more than have the children learn to grow vegetables. She wanted them to truly understand the importance of the public service campaign that urges gardeners to donate a portion of their harvest to area food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

"This is not about people who are so far away that they can't recognize them. They're neighbors," the Geneva woman said of those in need of food assistance.

That's really the whole point of the Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign: to help neighbors in the Daily Herald community.

The public service program promoted nationally by the Garden Writer's Association of America and sponsored locally by the Daily Herald is based on the premise that gardeners usually plant and grow more than they consume. And that gardeners love to share their bounty.

Plant a Row takes food that might otherwise go to waste and channels it to local agencies that either cook and serve the food to residents in need, or distribute it to clients seeking help putting meals on the table.

The Daily Herald works with Northern Illinois Food Bank to identify more than 40 drop-off points in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. Last year, suburban gardeners helped send 41,286 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables to participating agencies.

Our goal this year is 45,000 pounds between July 14 and Sept. 29. But the time to plant is now.

Individual gardeners participate, as do garden clubs, Scout troops, churches, garden centers, food stands, University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and those who work in and staff the agencies who benefit from the fresh food.

The crew at Western Avenue School has one of the most comprehensive programs in the area - a fact that was recognized this year when the National Gardening Association and Gardener's Supply Company named it one of the top five campaigns in the country. The 2002 Healthy Sprouts award carried a $500 prize and a gift of $200 in gardening supplies.

Livingston and her organizing pal, Marilyn Conner, both signed onto the project earlier this year when the school newsletter carried an item explaining that the previous sponsor had moved out of the area. Unless someone new stepped forward, the 2-year-old program would fall by the wayside.

They sat down and figured out everything they wanted kids to learn from the experience, then set to work figuring out how to accomplish these goals:

- Help the hungry

- Contribute to our community

- Learn about gardening, harvesting and good nutrition

- Build self-esteem and making a difference in the lives of others

They asked students in January to sign up for the project that would extend from February to October, then scheduled field trips and meetings at the school that featured guest speakers. They included fun, too.

The elementary school kids created their own nutritious trail mix, made posters for a food drive and planted sunflower seeds in small paper cups. They even set up their own Web site discussing the program, what they're trying to accomplish and how they're going about it: www.wasplantarow.com.

When it came time for the actual planting to begin, they had twice as many people as expected on hand. Volunteer Master Gardeners were there to show the kids exactly what to do to ensure their seedlings grew up healthy.

Doreen Keating said her son, Ian, turned out to be quite the little instructor himself, applying what he'd learned from the experts about transplanting potted vegetables.

"Mooooomm, you've got to break the roots so they'll grow!" she said.