Charleston Non-Profit Spotlight: The Green Heart Project
Mission
The Green Heart Project builds garden-based experiential learning projects and school garden programs to educate students to connect people and cultivate community through growing, eating, and celebrating food.
History
The Green Heart Project was founded in 2009 as a small school garden at Mitchell Elementary School in downtown Charleston with the intention of reconnecting their students with fresh, locally-grown produce. As a Title-1 public school in a labeled food desert, the majority of Mitchell Elementary students come from low-income households that lack access to the whole, fresh fruits and vegetables that we all need to lead a healthy lifestyle. With this knowledge, local neighborhood residents Karalee Nielsen and Chauncey Jordan founded the Project with the hopes of changing those facts. Together with a group of friends, and an open-minded principal looking for alternative ways to teach and inspire, they devised a plan to build an urban garden with a group of 3rd-grade students, utilizing the experience as a service-learning project to teach students the value of growing your own food.
In the first year, the Project quickly became more than an experiment in urban gardening. With students and volunteers working in the garden together, a mentorship was fostered. It was soon realized that the students were growing personally and socially, just as the vegetables were growing big in the garden. The urban farm became an organic example of an important life lesson — through hard work, teamwork, and respect for the process, you can literally bear the fruits of your labor. The volunteers became “Green Heart Buddies” – mentors students could count on and learn with as they worked together in the garden. And it is from this model in volunteer-assisted service-learning that the Green Heart Project’s mission and educational program was founded.
Garden Locations
- Mitchell Elementary School – 2 Perry Street, Charleston, SC 29403
- Sanders Clyde Creative Arts School – 805 Morrison Dr, Charleston, SC 29403
- Sullivan’s Island Elementary School – 2015 I’on Avenue, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482
- Meeting Street Academy @ GrowFood Carolina – 990 Morrison Dr, Charleston, SC 29403
- Meeting Street Elementary @ Brentwood – 2685 Leeds Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
- Memminger Elementary School – 20 Beaufain St, Charleston, SC 29401
Events and Volunteer Opportunities
Charleston Daily
Charleston Daily is a concept in community. Its mission is to promote, assist, and celebrate in everything Charleston, South Carolina. By partnering with businesses, community leaders, volunteers and events, we are spreading the love that is Charleston. As this city continues to grow and prosper, we want to help spread the message to all about how wonderful this community is. Charleston is about the people, community, water, land, history, heritage and the true southern warmth it brings with each and every day.