Sunrise Center for Children and Families received a grant from the United Way of Crookston in 2018, the first year the center had applied for a grant. Over five years ago, the school-age children had 22 raised garden beds located on the Mount St. Benedict property, but with new construction going on, they had to relocate their garden using some temporary beds explained Lori Wagner, executive director for the United Way. “As a temporary space was going up, they had some inexpensive raised beds for the kids to keep the gardening going, which is great for children,” said Wagner. “But unfortunately, the deer found the beds and walked all over them and the beds became cracked and splintered posing a safety risk for the children.”
Upon completion of the construction on the property, the beds were able to be moved into a prime location, but the Sunrise Center needed assistance with purchasing the new raised beds. The United Way Grant helped the center purchase two raised beds for their garden space. Gardening with children teaches them the benefits of appreciating nature, positive social skills, healthy eating and nutritional knowledge that creates lifelong benefits. The Sunrise Center appreciates the financial assistance the United Way provided to benefit their program and the children they serve.
