If not, check out the work by The Kitchen Community. Now through the end of the year, we are going to post regularly on our nonprofit partners. As you know, when you shop with Modern Kids Design and select one of our partners in our Shop + Give donation program, 5% of sales will benefit the nonprofit our your choice. We hope that you learn more about them through our website and, if you are looking for additional causes to contribute to this holiday season, we encourage you to make direct donations on their websites as well. Today we talk about The Kitchen Community, an organization that has done an amazing job of building bonds through food.

Food is a common bond. It is something that every person shares; we need it to live, and to sustain ourselves. However, food is not simply a necessity. It provides a vehicle for connection, nourishing traditions, forging bonds, and building a sense of community. This is the ethos of The Kitchen Community, a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded with the mission to create “Community Through Food.” Since its inception in 2011, The Kitchen Community has provided fresh food, hands-on educational opportunities, and a communal atmosphere for about 100,000 children nationwide.

Here’s how it works. Schools or community organizations with a minimum of a 60 percent Free and Reduced Lunch population are invited to apply for a Learning Garden. If selected, The Kitchen Community will build an edible garden in the area, which serves as an outdoor classroom for students and other community members.

The growing number of Learning Gardens scattered throughout the country are not your ordinary plant beds. Founder Jen Lewin sought to entice community engagement through beauty. As such, the gardens serve as an “educational tool to inspire spontaneous play by children and provide an attractive outdoor classroom for teachers.” The interactive learning spaces blend stunning aesthetics with functional design, inspiring communal action in areas that traditionally lack access to affordable, fresh, organic food.

Learning Gardens offer a lovely design that can be implemented in spaces of any shape and size. The modular beds offer built-in irrigation systems that provide added convenience for those caring for it. This interactive design also encourages young minds to take ownership of the gardens, which effectively integrates values of environmental stewardship into everyday experiences.

The driving vision of The Kitchen Community is straightforward: “Learning Gardens are a great place for students to participate in hands-on lessons that enhance their educational experience and allow them to gain a deeper understanding of curriculum taught in the classroom.” And the impact is profound. Every child should have access to learn, explore, and grow in safe outdoor environments. The Kitchen Community brings this opportunity to neighborhoods throughout the country, forging communal links to the environment.

If children don’t interact with the natural world, then they will not understand why they should care for it. The Kitchen Community provides fresh food, learning opportunities, and a beautiful shared space for neighbors to explore together. But it also does something more… It teaches students to love our planet, to nourish it, and to foster a better future. We hope that you take time to learn more about them and, as always, thanks for reading!