05/22/2026
Emily, Program Director of COMMON THREADS FARM, recently shared this with Assistance League. "I wanted to share this story of impact from our spring garden club at Silver Beach Elementary, as well as some photos from the farm stand that the students planned and ran on Monday!"
"In the spring of 2026, K-2 students at Silver Beach Elementary’s garden club planned and prepared to run a community farm stand. The goal of the project was to provide a meaningful, motivating context for their skill building in the school garden. Further, the project showcased how a school garden space has meaning beyond the concrete–it allowed students to build real-world connections to their community and to view their own ability to make a difference.
After identifying the Foothills Food Bank as a worthy recipient for the sale’s proceeds, students tended to plant starts, prepared handmade crafts & ginger mint lemonade, and even practiced their customer service skills! When the big day came, one student named Willow was feeling nervous about running the stand. According to her mom, she had been practicing her customer service skills in front of her stuffies at home to help herself feel more prepared.
As soon as the customers started arriving, Willow jumped into action! She poured lemonade, took customers’ orders, and referenced the pricing sheet students had made the week prior, displaying her best smile and manners all the while. In fact, she took so much ownership of her role that she didn’t want to leave her post even after all the customers had been served!
“Without garden club, I wouldn't know how to be in a farmer's market,” she told me when I asked her what she thought of the experience. “I liked being in the farmer's market because I got to meet new people! I think I want to do it again!”
Willow and her friends ended up raising $116 for the Foothills Food Bank! It was so fulfilling to witness how much the students valued having ownership of a project that had a real-world impact in their community."
