F2SBC Funded Projects

Small Grants, Big Changes: Success Stories from $1,000 School Grants

Harold Bishop Elementary School

School District 36 (Fraser Region)

Harold Bishop Elementary used their F2SBC grant to create a school garden, offering students a unique space to plant, water, and enjoy the rewards of gardening—an experience many had never encountered in their urban environment. “This experience has given our students so much joy.” The garden is now part of the science curriculum, covering topics like pollination, conservation, native and First Nations plants, and biodiversity. It features four themed boxes: pollinator plants, native West Coast plants, a sensory garden, and plants beneficial to West Coast First Nations Peoples.

Homma Elementary School

School District 38 (Vancouver Coastal Region)

Homma Elementary used their F2SBC grant to significantly boost their cooking program. With this funding, they were able to purchase enough cooking and serving materials for each class, eliminating the need to share and alternate use. As a result, more students can now participate in daily cooking activities. The addition of a new camp stove and dehydrator has also expanded the ways students can cook and preserve food, creating opportunities for year-round food engagement—even during the winter months!

NorKam Senior Secondary

School District 73 (Interior Region)

NorKam Senior Secondary used their F2SBC grant to purchase an indoor grow tower and organize field trips to local farms. The grow tower provided students with an enriching, hands-on experience, teaching them about plant regrowth and instilling pride as they harvested enough green onions and basil to contribute to the free school lunch program. The program primarily engages special education students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, allowing them to explore different fruits and vegetables they might not otherwise encounter. Through these experiences, students are discovering alternative ways to provide food for themselves and their families by learning how to grow their own.

Sensisyusten School

Westbank First Nation (Interior Region)

Sensisyusten School used their F2SBC grant to purchase new supplies to maintain their five grow towers. Each classroom now enjoys its own tower garden, with some classes growing lettuce for the school lunch program and others experimenting with various crops like peppers, strawberries, okra, and broccoli. The students took pride in planting, nurturing, and harvesting their produce, gaining a deeper appreciation for the effort required to grow food.

Tuc el Nuit Elementary

School District 53 (Interior Region)

Tuc el Nuit Elementary used their Farm to School BC grant to add a dehydrator to their school kitchen and enhance both their indoor and outdoor growing spaces. Each week, students from Grades 1 to 7 spend time with an outdoor learning teacher, working and learning in the garden, while students in Grades 5 to 7 regularly use the school kitchen to develop their food preparation skills. These hands-on experiences have taught students valuable agricultural and culinary skills, culminating in the intermediate students preparing and serving meals for the entire school. Dishes like baked spaghetti squash, dehydrated apples, and kale chips showcase their use of fresh, school-grown produce!