New garden puts Charger students in charge of growing real food, from first seed to first harvest.
Shell Knob, Missouri (October 8, 2026) — Shell Knob School District #78 is building an edible education garden that will give 150 students hands-on experience growing, harvesting, and tasting real food — supported by a $3,500 grant from Whole Foods Market Foundation in partnership with Newman's Own Foundation to build an edible education garden on its campus. Whole Foods Market Foundation's Garden Grant Program helps schools and organizations in the US and Canada connect students to real food through edible learning gardens aimed at improving children's nutrition and wellness.
Shell Knob School will use the grant to start its first school garden. Funds will purchase raised beds, soil, seeds, and water barrels to get the garden up and growing. Students on the school's garden team will lead the work alongside staff leaders Mrs. Grace Idleburg and Ms. Carrie Forsythe, from building and filling the beds to planting, watering, and caring for the garden through the seasons.
"This garden gives our students something they've never had at Shell Knob, a place where they can plant a seed, care for it, and see the results of their own hard work," said Dr. Chris Conyac, Superintendent. "Our garden team is excited to get their hands in the dirt, and we're grateful to Whole Foods Market Foundation and Newman's Own Foundation for helping Charger students learn where their food comes from."
Students will grow seasonal vegetables in raised beds and use water barrels to collect rainwater for the garden. The garden will serve as an outdoor classroom where students can connect science, math, and nutrition lessons to real-world growing. For Shell Knob School, the project marks an exciting milestone: breaking ground on a brand-new garden that students will help shape from the very beginning. The work also puts the district's LEAD framework into action, as students learn with purpose, empower one another, and build a culture of positive change one raised bed at a time.
About the Garden Grant Program
Whole Foods Market Foundation's Garden Grant Program helps schools across the US and Canada connect students to real food through edible learning gardens. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $18.9 million in over 9,700 garden programs, reaching more than 4.3 million students.
"We believe in the power of a garden as a learning space," said Daniel Zoltani, Executive Director of Whole Foods Market Foundation. "Every garden grant creates an opportunity for kids to learn more about where their food comes from and put that learning into action."
About Shell Knob School District #78
Shell Knob School District #78, Home of the Chargers, serves 150 students in grades pre-K through 8 in Shell Knob, Missouri. The district structures its daily focus around the LEAD framework:
L - Learn with Purpose (Dream)
E - Empower Others (Believe)
A - Aspire to Greatness (Empower)
D - Develop a Culture of Positive Change (Transform)
About Whole Foods Market Foundation
Founded in 2005 by Whole Foods Market, Whole Foods Market Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving children's health and wellness through nutrition. Whole Foods Market covers the Foundation's operational costs, allowing 100 percent of every dollar donated to directly support programs including school gardens, salad bars, beehives, and nutrition education. Learn more at wholefoodsmarketfoundation.org.