Sullivan Middle is a school of 903 students in grades 7th thru 8th and serves children from the entire city of Worcester. The majority of the students, 75%, come from low-income families and reside in an urban environment with limited access to resources and safe open-spaces. Compounding this issue of poverty, many students at Sullivan Middle are currently suffering from obesity, or are at risk for being obese and face potential health consequences. Obesity has become an epidemic across the country with the U.S. Surgeon General recognizing this as one of the greatest health related issues we are facing today. Childhood obesity has been attributed to a long list of other health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart disease, along with psychological and social issues. Obese children also have a significantly high risk of being obese as an adult that can lead to more complicated health issues and even premature death. At a regional level Central Massachusetts has a highest concentration of obese people per capita in the Commonwealth. Data on the students at Sullivan Middle mirrors both the national and regional trends of obesity, as an alarming percentage of students are at-risk or already facing obesity. Studies have shown a link between poverty, fruit and vegetable intake, and childhood obesity. In a recent report in the American Journal of Health Education, survey households in multiple metropolitan areas, ranging from low to high poverty rates and found that 78% of the children studied ate less than the daily minimum daily fruit and vegetable recommended servings, and out of these children 37% were or at risk of being overweight. The study also revealed that those children who were in high poverty areas ate fewer servings of fruit and vegetables a day than those children in higher income areas as a result of having less accessibility to grocery stores and markets. Adding to the issue of healthy eating habits is a lack of physical activity. Many youth in the community express their fears of violence in their neighborhoods. The frequent stabbings and shootings have prompted parents to keep their children inside away from the dangerous environment. The neighborhood also has limited accessible open space where the children can go outside and safely play. Subsequently, the students lack the ability to engage in healthy physical activity. These conditions of limited access to proper nutrition and safe places to engage in physical activity have combined to create a serious issue of childhood obesity at Sullivan Middle indicating a need for intervention.

To address the health needs of Sullivan Middle and the surrounding community, I have proposed to create a youth run community garden, to be built on the school grounds. The garden will serve as a platform to organize and engage the community in discussions and action around the issues of childhood obesity and the unmet health needs of the community. Across the country many school gardens have proven to be successful at providing a space for a hands-on learning experience linking plant and food connections, a key step in effective nutritional education. Additionally a garden functions as a space to engage in physical activity and develop positive associations with the outdoor environment. As a youth run garden, this project will allow students to develop problem solving and leadership skills as they engage in the designing and organizing of the garden. Finally, as a community garden, this project will strengthen relationships with various stakeholders within the school and the surrounding neighborhood, bolstering the community’s capacity to organize and advocate around the health issues that are important to the community.

The first step in creating a school garden will be to form a student group, which will take the lead on designing and organizing the garden. The student group will work on developing a mission for the garden, and a plan for how the garden can promote a healthier school and community environment. Secondly support for the garden within the school and community will be built to secure funding, donated materials, and volunteers. Local community-based organizations will be important to reach out to for technical as well as material support. Once the garden is created, the student group will continue to organize and use the garden to educate the school and community about the important unmet health needs.

Others can help by donating gardening supplies, funds, or volunteer in one of our community build days. We are also looking for community members to help volunteer in fundraising and outreach. Anyone with horticulture experience is always welcome!