Veggie U, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization at the Culinary Vegetable Institute is committed to fostering a synergy between educational, nutritional, and agricultural goals to combat the rising epidemic of childhood obesity. Veggie U has joined forces with top chefs, some of the area's finest educators, a nutritionist and a local physician to see how we could impact this challenge.

A group of area Master Teachers spent more than 18 months volunteering their free time to formulate a curriculum teaching an Earth to Table™ concept aimed at fourth-graders. A kit complete with seeds, soil, flats, root view boxes, grow lights and a worm farm gives the teacher needed material for this hands-on study. These materials allow the student to see, hear, taste, feel and experience the process of planting, growing, harvesting - and eating the results!

Veggie U Needs You!

It was amazing to wake up this morning and discover that it is actually the end of August.  A time when educators take a moment to reflect on the past school year and prepare for the upcoming one. 

The Veggie U staff is also reflecting and preparing!  During the 2006/2007 school year we made great strides as 125 Veggie U kits were refilled and 500 new kits were placed. A special needs addendum was developed and welcomed into the school districts!  With the 500% increase in kit assembly, the kit volunteers met the challenges and high-jumped over the top with success!  The Veggie U staff is forever grateful to these individuals that meet twice a week, using their professional knowledge and skills in helping the Veggie U program grow!

The goal for the 2007/2008 school year is to refill 100% of last year's kits and to place an additional 1000 new Veggie U kits into fourth-grade and special needs classrooms.  We are excited as product orders are placed, the kit assembly garage is organized, and grant and foundation applications continue to be written in order to garner the funding necessary to place the new and refill Veggie U kits!  We look towards a school year filled with fun at the assembly garage, scheduled teacher in-service workshops in numerous counties, positive addendums to the curriculum, and a new pilot Distance Learning Soil module.

Most importantly, we are motivated by the fact that Veggie U will be hosted in 1625 classrooms during the 2007/2008 school year.  This opens the opportunity for up to 40,625 students to learn how to grow plants, score higher in their school achievement tests, learn about environmentally friendly sustainable agriculture, learn how to read a food label, and to potentially become their own health ambassadors!  No question this is a Win-Win!