Our Story
The journey of a seed of an idea
Gallery of our journey
How we got here
From realizing the need for agricultural reunification to donating over 200 heads of lettuce to students with multiple disabilities and the Barclay Farmers Market, our story is one of how a resilient seed of an idea began to blossom with the help of a community ready to nourish it.
Bringing Farming Right to the Classroom
After deliberation with local farmers at Plumsteadville Grange Farmers Market, Warrington Farmers Market, Pennypack Farm & Education Center, and many more, Alexis realized there must be a way to integrate agriculture without taking time out of a farmer’s packed day. That’s when it hit her: we could transform students into farmers with a garden right near our classrooms.
Building the Team
It takes a community to change a community, so in September, the GROW team went from one to forty CB South students dedicated to making this garden a reality.
Partners in Innovation
Ryne and Jack, local innovation leaders at FluxSpace, reached out to Alexis with a proposition to support The Good of Green’s endeavors with a generous donation of gardening supplies for the hydroponics garden, also known as Flex Farm. Alexis, along with Charlotte, Groundskeeping Manager at CB South, and Diya, Project Manager at CB South, would visit FluxSpace in December to learn more about how to use the Flex Farm to better support the GROW team back at school.
Expanding Our Horizons
Dr. Brereton and Alexis worked to acquire seven more garden units, cultivating a future of hundreds more pounds of food for CBSD families, to distribute throughout CBSD schools in support of Barclay Farmers Market under The Good of Green. With all these changes, one thing remains clear: our vision is to allow everyone to reconnect with the community, reconnect with agriculture, and reconnect with their health. Let’s keep growing!
Collaboration with Spring Creek Farm
Alexis reached out to Spring Creek Farm, a local organic farm in Solebury, PA that practices regenerative agriculture, with an idea for agricultural reunification where people could experience the heart that goes into bringing fresh food to the community’s tables and learn that with care, anything, from plants to our bodies, can flourish. After months of planning, on July 17, 2024, the vision came to life, and an intimate group of over 30 community members gathered to tour the farm, learn about regenerative agriculture, and help harvest produce. They left with hearts ready to share the love of agriculture with the world.
A Change of Plans… Gardening Inside
A garden outside wasn’t possible due to sizing constraints, so the GROW team needed to pivot. After much brainstorming, a teacher from Barclay Elementary School reached out to say their hydroponics garden wasn’t in use. From there, Alexis would go on to meet Dr. Joe Brereton, principal of Barclay Elementary School and Co-Founder of Barclay Farmers Market, and the pair would spearhead the transition of the garden to CB South’s Multiple Disabilities Students Classroom.
Growing, growing, and growing
With all GROW team members on deck and the help of students in the Life Skills classroom at CB South, our garden began to bloom with a variety of lettuce, herbs, and much more, reminding our souls of the goodness of green. Students and teachers had the opportunity to care for and taste-test fresh food right from the comfort of the classroom, offering a piece of nature’s solace in an ever-changing world. Partnering with the newly founded Flex Farm at Mill Creek, CB South’s GROW team had the opportunity to mentor elementary schoolers on their journey to growing green. All produce was donated to feed the Life Skills students, CB South students, teachers, and many CBSD families at the Barclay Farmers Market.