Locals Create Their Own Patches with School Garden 'Give 5' Program

It's the first year that the school had an edible garden for the students, but Principal Susan Kim had a problem. The sprinkler system is broken, the garden is overgrown, the parent who started the garden is moving on to another school, and the students need to start over in the fall.

So, it was a perfect summer Give 5 program for Patch!

About a dozen people came over two hours to take some of the herbs and plants and help till the soil for the planter boxes.

One lady was making onion soup, a couple of children pulled up the radishes and carrots and ate them right there, one person was picking the strawberries.

Julie Carpenter of Studio City read about the need for help on Patch and came down to spend a few hours and took home some strawberry plants. 

"I didn't even know there was a school here, it's so tiny," said Carpenter, who has worked on local community gardens in the past.

 The garden was inspired by parent Terry Maloy, who worked with the teachers and students to grow the fruit and vegetables. The garden was paid for with the help of grants from the California Institute of Contemporary Arts, Lowe's and the school PTA.

"it was amazing to watch how students tried vegetables like chard and bok chou that they never would have otherwise," Maloy said. "But because they grew it all from seeds and harvested it themselves, they loved it."

Now the classes and the students can start anew in the fall.

Martha Silva from Cactus Tacos in Studio City brought burritos for the volunteers, and she took home some tomato plants and strawberries to grow in her garden.

"I can use the tomatoes for the salsa that I will make at the restaurant," said Silva, whose son, Marlo Tornel, went to Valley View and is now the manager at the new restaurant.

Give 5 is Patch's oldest tradition. One of Patch's founding principles was volunteerism and giving back to communities. Give 5 is a  volunteer program and since 2009, thousands of Patchers have given thousands of hours of service at food banks, homeless shelters, schools, senior centers, and wherever the community needs them most.  

At Studio City and Sherman Oaks Patches we have helped with local middle school and elementary schools as well as a local nursing home and civic groups over the past three years.

If you have an idea for a future Give 5 project, contact editor Mike Szymanski at MikeS@patch.com.

Check out the photo gallery and video above.

Also see:

How Does Your Garden Grow?