Experiential Learning
At Overbrook School for the Blind, extracurricular activities—a key component to each student's Overbrook experience—include a variety of sports, exposure to the arts, and sustainable agriculture. Overbrook is incredibly proud of its Farm to Table Program and how it has grown over the last 8 years. We have a Food Forest on campus, and over 60 fruit and nut trees in our orchard. We are so grateful to be working with such amazing organizations like Philadelphia Orchard Project, Philadelphia Horticulture Society, Penn State, Elwyn, Green Mountain Energy, Philadelphia Water Departments Watershed Program. The list is long and we feel like we have only just begun. The goal of our program is to improve child nutrition, support local farms and farmers and learn best practices from them, improve our neighborhood and our carbon footprint, provide job training and employment, teach daily living skills through practical application and of course increase food and nutrition education.
In 2009 our staff designed and implemented a Farm to Table program. Through "Farm to Table", our students learn and connect with sustainable agriculture in a meaningful way. First, the Farm to Table yield stocks the student salad bar which promotes healthy eating and dietary habits on campus. Second, our Farm to Table program creates a holistic experience wherein students not only come to know where their food is grown, but they play an active part in the process, as well. We have student wellness representatives that meet with our Nutritionist, Cathy Dorzaio, to plan for healthy meals and events, and provide input regarding food choices and how to best utilize the food that they sourced from our gardens.
Grants and Praise
What started out as a series of raised beds has since grown to include an orchard of nearly 60 trees (Philadelphia's 3rd largest orchard), and attracted with an NFL "Play 60" grant, and additional funding from Whole Foods' Whole Kids Foundation. In the region, our Farm to Table program has "Best Children's Garden" from Philadelphia Horticultural Society and continues to grow into something new each day.
Horticulture Center Expands Offerings
To help our Farm to Table program take the next step in its development and to also dramatically increase the program's campus-wide impact, Overbrook School for the Blind has constructed an on-campus Horticulture Center. The M. Christine Murphy Horticulture Education Center will provide the Farm to Table program with:
- A fully adaptive and accessible greenhouse;
- A climate-controlled environment that will enable the Farm to Table program to grow crops, plants, and flowers year-round; and,
- An on-campus hub where older students in our High School and School to Work programs can gain real-life experience that may result in future employment opportunities.
Check out the Leed Gold Certified, Net-Zero, M. Christine Murphy Horticulture Center. What an amazing accomplishment!
If you are interested in supporting the Overbrook School for the Blind, please contact our development office by calling 215-877-0313 ext. 264.
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