Friday Deadline For Helping Fund 1,000 School Gardens

Friday, September 30, is the last day to help fund as many as 1,000 school gardens nationwide as part of an initiative by Whole Foods Market.

Called the “Whole Kids School Garden Grant Program,” the initiative offers $2,000 in grants, resources and mentorship—along with a curriculum—to qualifying schools, according to the Whole Foods’ Whole Kids Foundation website.

The nonprofit foundation teamed up with FoodCorps, a federation of organizations and institutions that includes , the National Farm to School Network, Slow Food USA, the National Center for Appropriate Technology, which runs a model program in Montana, and Wicked Delicate, an advocacy firm founded by the co-creators of a documentary film, King Corn.

School garden programs—such as the one run by teacher Alicia Stanco (see photos above)—help improve students’ knowledge of nutrition, food preferences and healthy eating habits, besides offering a multidisciplinary education that boosts academic achievement.

Whole Foods will be accepting grant applications from schools through Dec. 31, 2011. Walk into any Whole Foods store by the end of Friday to make donations.