NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A project to promote healthy eating is growing — quite literally — in the Cataract City.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension and New York State Department of Health teamed up to identify dozens of school districts across the state where they wanted to increase access to healthy food.
Niagara Falls is one of them.
They set up several Tower Gardens in various schools so kids could learn where their food comes from and get a hands on lesson in gardening and healthy eating.
It's a lesson that's especially important in cities like Niagara Falls, which are considered 'food deserts' — typically impoverished areas where fresh, whole foods aren't available because of a lack of grocery stores or because people can't afford them.
The school and community coordinators want kids to appreciate healthy eating and make it a part of their daily lives. They say when the kids actually grow their own food, they have a sense of ownership and are even more adventurous when it comes to trying new things.
The Tower Gardens are also popping up in senior and community centers in Niagara Falls, and at libraries. Most recently, they added a vertical garden to The Connection, a youth center on Main Street.
The Connection's chef uses the greens and other veggies grown in the healthy meals the center serves to kids each day.
They're growing various herbs, peppers, and different kinds of lettuce and greens.
The Tower Gardens are an aeroponic growing system where water, air, and nutrients circulate in the tower so plants can grow. There's no soil and very little maintenance. Plants grow two to three times faster, so the kids can harvest more regularly.