HAMILTON CITY, Calif. — Work continued Friday on a 10-bed fruit and vegetable garden at Hamilton Elementary School, a project funded through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The garden is part of a federally funded initiative designed to promote nutrition education for young Glenn County students. But the program, which has been in place for about 20 years, is set to lose its federal funding at the end of the month.
“We are installing this garden to give the children and the community hands-on experience growing their own fruits and vegetables — and to expose them to more of a variety of fruits and vegetables,” said Bri Loflink, one of the organizers.
When completed, the garden will be maintained by students and used to teach life skills and encourage healthy eating. The long-term vision, Loflink said, is to open the garden to the broader community.
“It’s important to teach the kids about the community and the farming aspect of what’s going on around here — food production, water values, how things grow,” said Kayla Thompson, who helps lead the education efforts.
The program’s future funding was cut under recent legislation passed by Congress, known as the Big Beautiful Bill. Federal support is set to expire Sept. 30.
Still, school officials say the garden will continue without federal money.
“We’ve already had people come in, parents and things like that, offering to provide us with plants and backing and resources,” Thompson said.
The campus garden is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. While the future of SNAP-funded projects remains uncertain, organizers hope the lessons planted here will take root for years to come.
Comments are closed.