The Edible Schoolyard Project

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" --Maya Angelou

Left to right: Maria Porter, Alice Waters, David Brown Steward

When KABF was investigating where to place our Kelly grant funds, we interviewed several community foundations. All were lovely, but when we got to Marin Community Foundation (MCF), we knew we were home. In that meeting KABF Director Katy Jo Steward talked about being inspired by the Bay Area’s innovators and mentioned renowned chef Alice Waters by name—a personal she-ro of Katy Jo’s.

One and half years later, our philanthropic advisor Maria Porter presented Katy Jo with a gift from Alice Waters, a signed copy of her book, The Art of Simple Food! Katy Jo was overcome! It seems the same MCF folks we met at our initial meeting shared the Kelly/Katy Jo story with Ms. Waters and she was touched.

Since that time KABF toured Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard Project, introducing kids in public schools to growing and cooking and sharing wonderfully healthy food. Later that same night KABF dined at Alice’s restaurant, Chez Panisse, and met Ms. Waters in person!

KABF was thrilled to give a second grant in Kelly’s name to The Edible Schoolyard Project.

Alice Waters best describes how far The Edible Schoolyard has come since its creation in 1996:
“Edible Education has now entered the mainstream. Our learning model continues to flourish from one simple idea: academic subjects such as math and science become more richly engaging when they are integrated with immersive experiences in kitchens and gardens. As young people are empowered to understand the deep connections between food and every other aspect of life, they develop a sense of global citizenship, a respect for the land, and a determination to nourish themselves and each other.”­

Nationally recognized for its work to integrate gardening, cooking, and sharing school lunch, The Edible Schoolyard helped lead to the School Lunch Initiative, a national agenda integrating gardening and nutritious lunches into the academic curriculum of public schools across the United States. The Kelly Ann Brown Foundation is proud to be a part of The Edible Schoolyard’s mission.

Click here to learn more about The Edible Schoolyard Project.

A banner in the ESY kitchen (photo by volunteer Erin Scott)