Innovation lands at Dene High School

In some communities, systemic barriers like high transportation costs can limit access to fresh foods. President’s Choice Children’s Charity aims to help address some of these issues with the charity’s new Power Full Kids |Future Growers program.

Launched in 2017, the charities first Future Growers project came in the form of a high-tech refurbished shipping container farm at Dene High School in Saskatchewan, a remote community that has limited access to fresh foods. Ran completely by the students and staff, the farm allows the school to grow a variety of herbs and vegetables in any climate, any time of the year. “The unavailability and high costs of healthy foods combined with the continued impacts of colonization have resulted in high rates of nutrition-related health concerns, including Type 2 diabetes, within our community” explains Dakota de Caux, Science Teacher at Dene High School and program lead. “This project gives us the opportunity to become more self-sufficient, lower our food costs and provide more nutritious meals for our students.”

The produce grown in the farm also supplements the school’s daily meal program, with extra-produce being sold by a student run farmer’s market. The farm also acts as an alternative classroom where the students are getting hands-on lessons on the potential future of farming, biology, math and entrepreneurship.

President’s Choice Children’s Charity will award one school annually with a purpose-built container farm, installed on school property. Power Full Kids |Future Growers combines the charity’s dual purpose: relieving poverty by increasing food access and advancing education by teaching kids growing and cooking skills, in one innovative program designed to do both.

“It was the students at Dene that first expressed interest in learning how to grow food themselves,” says Lisa Battistelli, Executive Director of President’s Choice Children’s Charity. “These projects are valuable because they provide an opportunity for our young people to lead, decide how best to serve their community, and to feel the power of food”.

“Kids are aching to learn how to grow things and produce their own food” says Decaux. “It’s a skill that has been lost in this generation, and they are eager to re-connected to nature and the land.”

Learn more about Power Full Kids programs here!