Edible Peace Patch’s Cultivating Community Fundraiser this Friday

Event to help nonprofit build more educational gardens in South St. Petersburg schools

ST. PETERSBURG –The Edible Peace Patch Project will hold their Cultivating Community Fundraiser this Friday, May 20 from 6-9 p.m. at the Historic Train Station at the Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg.

The event will celebrate the St. Petersburg-based nonprofit’s mission of cultivating healthy minds and bodies through hands-on educational gardens in Title I schools in low-income areas of Pinellas County.

The dinner will honor Watson Haynes, CEO of the Pinellas County Urban League, for his support of The Edible Peace Patch Project. A St. Petersburg native, Haynes is deeply involved in the community, including the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, Pinellas Education Foundation P4PS Committee, and AMI Kids. He also served as the Chartering President of the Midtown Rotary Club and President of the Concerned Organization for Quality Education for Black Students.

Attendees will also hear from students whose lives have been affected by the program, and the event will also have a live band and auction off a home garden installation.

“Our goal is to promote health and wellness among the youth in our community and to educate these students on how to eat healthy,” said Sherry Howard, executive director of The Edible Peace Patch Project. “We’re thrilled to share the positive impacts with the community that The Edible Peace Patch is making on our local youth.”

The Edible Peace Patch Project has educational gardens in six Title 1 elementary schools and one non-Title 1 elementary school in South St. Petersburg, including Lakewood, Maximo, Campbell Park, Fairmount, Melrose, John Hopkins and Sanderlin.

Individual tickets to the event are $50 per person and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. For more information on the event, sponsorships and to purchase tickets, visit http://tinyurl.com/SPCultivatingCommunity.

The Morean Center for Clay is located at 420 22nd Street S. and the event will be held in the Historic Train Station.

About The Edible Peace Patch

Established in January 2009, the Edible Peace Patch began when a group of ambitious Eckerd College students and their Environmental Studies professor built a schoolyard garden to teach students how to grow vegetables and be active participants in their environment. The organization installs educational gardens in Title I schools, and now has gardens in seven schools in south St. Petersburg. The mission of the Edible Peace Patch is to cultivate healthy minds and bodies through hands-on educational gardens to help grow successful lives and communities.