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Little Helper

Four Horry County schools will be tending to their own crops next year thanks to a grant based program aimed at getting more fresh fruits and vegetables into schools. 

Burgess Elementary School, Loris Middle School, Myrtle Beach Intermediate School, and Bridgewater Academy Charter School are four out of 52 schools in South Carolina participating in the program. Each school will be awarded $3000 to help fund their efforts. The grant funds will be used to purchase everything from seeds and planting soil to gardening tools.

Students are at the heart of the matter. Students along with help form the South Carolina Department of Agriculture and Clemson University, will take the lead in developing the gardens.  The food grown in the gardens will be used for students to sample in school cafeterias and classrooms.

All recipients of the grant are also committing to purchase fresh produce from local farmers twice each month.

The pilot project is a joint effort of the state departments of Education, Agriculture and Health and Environmental Control, along with Clemson University's Youth Learning Institute.