Garden For Change

By Estaban Cajigas

As the nationally syndicated television show, 60 Minutes pointed out in a March 6, 2011 segment of the show, there are hundreds of children in Central Florida who are homeless. The recession has hit Florida especially hard and it is creating a social crisis. Thousands of people have lost their jobs and their homes to the financial crisis. Nationwide 25 percent of children live below the poverty level and the statistics are higher in Orange County and nearby Seminole County. Florida unemployment rate is about 11 percent. More children are being affected. We have more than 3,000 homeless children among us in our schools. Let's support and help them!

The need of homeless and hunger is being addressed this year and will expand next year through year-long service learning projects.  This year the Service Learning Academy social studies classes established a food bank. Students can visit the bank to get food for their family. Donations can be made any day at Mr. Robinson's room and food drives will be conducted regularly to stock the bank.
School supplies can be picked up at the Service Learning room 631. The Closet, where students can get clothes, is located in the clinic in the front office.

Get Your Hands Dirty and Help!
All of us can help. Some service learning students have stepped up by starting an organic garden. As an organic garden on the Timber Creek High School campus, we have a very simple objective. We focus on bringing people together with the common interests of helping others, gardening, and more. After bringing our community together our goal is to achieve sustainable agriculture in the benefit for those in need. We are interested in people who want to make a difference and step up to help the community. The Garden is currently growing cucumbers, corn, peppers, okra, beans, tomatoes, and onions.

No experience is required. The way in which we are organized is by an inner circle outer circle format. Any member can sign up for any of the two. The inner most circle is that of the Care Takers. It is these members who are expected to attend meetings and invest the most time on the garden. We do not have administrators, all Care Takers are equal in responsibility. Care Takers are allowed to create committees to over see different goals of the garden.

The outer circle are Farmers. These are people who are part of our organization but are not devoting all their time for the garden. An example of a Farmer is anybody who needs community service hours and contributes a few hours every other month.

Agriculture, science and service learning teachers and classes are joining other TCHS clubs and donors to support the garden financially  until we can get a grant to expand it net year. Yvonne Best a friend of Mrs. Doromal who heads a community garden in California donated hundreds of packets of seeds!

Garden for Change supported the Service Learning Academy in commemorating Cesar Chavez Day of Service by supporting those who put food on our table -the Central Florida farm workers.

Join the Service Learning Academy if you are interested in working on projects next year that address the issue of homelessness and poverty! Look for news on the Sock Hop to be held to raise money for our partner, the Health Care Center for the Homeless.