Call to participate in the ‘Let’s GROW’ initiative

SuperValu and not-for-profit social enterprise GIY have teamed up for a second year to bring the ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ program to a further 50,000 primary school children across Ireland this spring. This means that 100,000 primary school children will have been educated in growing food through the ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ initiative, after being given the tools to grow their own fresh food at school for free. The partnership aims to increase the significance of homegrown food in classrooms and households across Ireland.

The 2024 national campaign was announced at Solas Chríost National School in Tallaght, Dublin, who were crowned winners of the 2023 initiative after developing and adopting their own food growing assessment system, which provided insight into how students made food cultivation even more interesting through creativity. and imagination. The school was rewarded with a new school garden worth € 1,000 from SuperValu, created by GIY.

Each participating school will receive a ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ classroom kit, containing all the necessary tools for both food growing and food literacy education, designed by GIY. The 2024 packages contain a variety of seeds, such as cress, peas, lettuce leaves, beans and sunflowers. In addition to the seeds, the kit includes 32 compostable pots, 32 magical compost disks and an expert GIY resource booklet with growing guides, lessons and activities created by GIY, to enhance the learning experience. All participating schools from across the country have a chance to win a school garden. Research conducted by GIY shows that when children grow some of their own food, they develop what we call ‘food empathy’, a deeper connection with food, which is proven to lead to a healthier lifestyle.

GIY founder and CEO Michael Kelly says: “Food-empathetic children have better diets, eat more fruits and vegetables and have a better understanding of food and nutrition. At a time when Ireland still has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the EU, establishing a deeper connection with food is more important than ever. Additionally, children who have grown some of their own food are more likely to try new foods at home. Not only is this important for the future health of our country, but it is also an opportunity to give children the life skills to grow their own food and gain a natural appreciation for fresh, seasonal, healthy foods.”

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

School teachers are invited to apply for a free ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ food growth pack online at www.supervaluletsgrow.ie, available while supplies last. Additionally, families looking to start their own growing journey can visit their local SuperValu store to pick up a GIY GROWBox.