Photo (Left to Right):
Officers from the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Luzerne County tour the Children’s Garden at The Lands at Hillside Farms.  Pictured (from left to right) are:
Jackie Corbett, Treasurer (GFWC)
Chet Mozloom, Executive Director (The Lands at Hillside Farms)
Peggy Sosnak, Immediate Past President (GFWC)
Christine Doherty, Agriculture Educator (The Lands at Hillside Farms)

Federation Day Grant Supports Project KinderGarden

Representatives from the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Luzerne County recent toured the children’s garden established through their Federation Day fundraiser in support of Project KinderGarden at The Lands at Hillside Farms.  During the visit, the women presented a check for $3,800 to The Lands in support of the project during the 2007-08 school year.

Project KinderGarden is a collaborative effort among Luzerne County-based school districts, the PA Department of Agriculture, and The Lands at Hillside Farms. The focus of this program is to use funding available through the Department of Agriculture's Health Farms/Healthy School initiative that enhances state agriculture curriculum mandates by encouraging collaboration between Pennsylvania farms and their local schools. For the 2007-08 school year, The Lands at Hillside Farms partnered with 38 kindergarten classes from Wilkes-Barre Area, Dallas, Lake Lehman, and Wyoming Valley Montessori School. Program activities included hands-on dairy farm curriculum (including visits to the farm), classroom/school visits by farmers, as well as the creation of a garden at the farm by the schools that will be used to teach nutrition and healthy eating to area Kindergarteners. Project KinderGarden also hosted with a family day on the farm in May to celebrate the programs. Funds raised on Federation Day supported the local match required for this program and help offset program costs associated with developing the gardens for each participating school.

Federation Day is the Federation’s largest annual fundraiser and is held at Boscov’s Department Store during the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Wilkes-Barre.  Each year a worthy local non-profit is selected to receive the proceeds from the day, including a portion of the day’s sales at Boscov’s.

For more information about Project KinderGarden, please contact Christine Doherty, Agriculture Educator, at The Lands at Hillside Farms.  Christine can be reached at 570-696-4500 or christine@thelandsathillsidefarms.org.