On June 16^th, 29 DGS employees volunteered at Great Kids Farm to support Baltimore City Public Schools. Great Kids Farm engages Baltimore City Schools’ students at all grade levels to support classroom learning, participate in every aspect of food preparation, and prepare students for success in 21st century colleges and careers.

The 29 volunteers weeded beds of sugar snap peas and blackberries, weeded and mulched a raspberry patch, chipped several piles of wood to be used for compost and mulch, and moved unneeded piles of stones, sand and soil. The tasks accomplished at the farm will help improve the experience of Baltimore City School students visiting the farm in the coming year. Weeding and mulching will help provide our plants with the space and nutrients to grow. Wood chipping will be used to mulch paths around the farm to make them more accessible to students. The space cleared of stones and sand will soon be the site of the farm’s new compost system that will not only help speed farm tasks and reduce costs but will also be integrated into lessons for students visiting the farm. Some of the tasks we performed the Farm has wanted to do for years! 

In total DGS performed 87 hours of volunteer service, equivalent to an in-kind contribution worth $2,298.