“Such gardens are not made by singing:-‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” – Rudyard Kipling

Grapes at Lexington Ave. Primary Center

I couldn’t have said it better myself. The word “garden” evokes a serene and shaded refuge with lush vegetation and leisure time to spare. EnrichLA, however, is in the business of building gardens, which is an entirely different concept.  So many schools in this iconically urban area are firmly enveloped in a layer of asphalt and concrete.

Because of this, EnrichLA’s goal to put a garden in every LA school oftentimes begins from zero, namely finding the soil under the asphalt.  The entire building process is, frankly, hard work.  Everything from installing sprinkler systems to constructing outdoor kitchens is done by volunteers.

Don’t be daunted though. An hour with a personal trainer will definitely cost more than an hour of shoveling soil with EnrichLA, and you’ll be just as exhausted afterwards.  Who needs a gym? More importantly, there are few things as rewarding than the looks of anticipation on the students’ faces as the edible garden gradually takes form. They notice and they care.

What if these kids got snacks from fruit trees instead of vending machines? What would happen to obesity rates if every child had easy access to fresh vegetables at school? Obesity is the great public health issue for this generation of children. This organization is getting the work done that will make an impact.

Volunteering with EnrichLA has been an enormously rewarding experience for me.  The people are wonderful, the work is satisfying, and we are making a difference. Come break a sweat with us!