Project title:

BUGS ON-SITE GARDEN

Application Date: March 12, 2014
Using Common Grant Application
Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS)
Non-proft Tax ID# 75-3139866
Founded in 2003
Erin Guerricabeitia, Executive Director
731 North 15th Street
Boise, Idaho 83702
Phone: 208-891-4769 (no fax)
Starting date of fscal year: January 1st
Total Organizational Budget (current year): $110,000
Request: Requesting $3,000 for unrestricted general operating support for all of
our programs and for the building of our new gardens. The grant will cover June 1st
2014-May 31st 2015.
Mission Statement: Boise Urban Garden Schools mission is to grow healthy
communities and inquiring minds.
Grant Request Summary: BUGS is partnering with the City of Boise Parks and
Recreation to renovate the barn and 3/4 acre of adjacent land located in the Comba
Park to transform it into an all inclusive headquarters for BUGS. The on-site garden
will allow BUGS to implement their programs within close proximity to the barn, the
kitchen and the ofces all working together to create a unifed place where children
and educators will be invited into a learning environment that promotes nutrition,
health, and a sustainable local food system. BUGS is seeking unrestricted funding
for the building of this new garden.
NARRATIVE: Introduction and Background of Organization
History and Major Accomplishments: In 2002 Wendy Young and Amy Hutchinson
co-founded Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) as a summer gardening program
for the children of the Boise community. For both Wendy and Amy the family garden
played a large role in their life growing up. In 2002 they were approached by the
Wright Congregational Church and were ofered the chance to turn the churchs
unused 1/2 acre into a community garden. With the Church as their sponsor Wendy
and Amy started with ffteen students in 2003 and began creating a local movement
that revolved around children, education and the garden. Their gardens allowed
them to successfully teach art and science to children. BUGS grew and by 2007
the non-proft began to reach out to the local public elementary schools. Teachers
attended a BUGS sponsored workshop that focused on how to incorporate a
garden based curriculum into their classes. In 2009 BUGS partnered with their frst
school, Taft Elementary to create an on-site garden where instructors could teach
science, math, health and nutrition. This garden is still in use by Taft Elementary and
is the oldest of several school gardens that BUGS has helped to establish in the
Treasure Valley.
Current Programs and Activities: During the summer of 2003 BUGS started a
seven-week gardening program for young people ages 10 to 16. That frst summer,
ffteen youth from various backgrounds worked together to grow a garden. Amy
Hutchinson and Wendy Young noticed that by the end of the summer the students
had gained a greater appreciation for nature and healthy natural food. Those
students left the program empowered to make strong choices to eat nutritious food.
The study, Childrens Active and Passive Interactions with Plants Infuence Their
Attitudes and Actions toward Trees and Gardening as Adults by Lohr and Pearson-
Mims summarized that, While both passive and active interactions with plants
during childhood were associated with positive adult values about trees, the
strongest infuence came from active gardening, such as picking fowers or planting
trees. These results indicate that horticultural programs for children raised in urban
surroundings with few or no plants can be efective in fostering an appreciation for
gardening in adults. It is our goal that students will take the experiences from their
time in the BUGS garden with them into adulthood and into their communities
positively afecting them for the rest of their lives, just as the research indicates can
and does happen.
As of 2013, BUGS tends four gardens and has an outreach in the Treasure Valley
community that has increased from ffteen in 2003 to 4,000 children (expected
this year 2014). As a result of BUGS growing infuence and continued community
support we have expanded our programs to meet the demand without sacrifcing
our goal of staying small and true to our mission.
The over arching purpose of BUGS programming is to show students how the two
elements of environmental sustainability and healthy eating are interdependent. We
do this by connecting the kitchen closely with the garden. BUGS students take food
from the garden directly into the kitchen where they learn to prepare their harvest
into a meal. From seed to harvest BUGS students grow in their understanding of
this relationship as they cultivate and care for the veggies in the BUGS garden.
Not only will students discover a wealth of scientifc knowledge in a garden but
BUGS students will also learn the environmental and nutritional benefts from
making positive choices to eat locally grown organic food. We anticipate the BUGS
experience will foster a desire in each child to grow up to be an adult who plants
and eats from their own gardens.
BUGS programs are designed to instil the following four skills in students:
1. Learn how to plant and care for an organic garden.
2. Learn how to create healthy dishes from the food grown in the garden.
3. Learn skills needed to run a small business via the farm stand.
4. Gain a sense of appreciation for nature and for quality food so that they feel
empowered to make positive choices for themselves and the ecosystem.
Upon completion of BUGS programming students are inspired and
enthusiastic about:
1. Sharing with their communities the knowledge of how to nourish their
bodies with quality food and how to care for the environment.
2. Planting their own organic gardens at home.
3. Learning more about nutrition, gardening, nature, and our food economy.
4. Pursuing writing, creating art and creating new business ideas.
5. Maintaining friendships that started in the BUGS garden and kitchen.
6. Engaging with other local groups and outreach programs that have similar
values to BUGS.
Currently BUGS ofers seven multifaceted educational programs:
1. Five Week Summer Program
2. One Week Summer Camps
3. Digging In School
4. Group Field Trips
5. Just Add Water!
6. Spread Your Roots Program (SYR)
7. Fall Harvest
SUMMER PROGRAMS OVERVIEW
In programs ranging from one to fve weeks from June through early August, nearly
120 youth ages six to ffteen work at the BUGS garden site, located at 4821 West
Franklin Road in Boise. In the unique three-fold classroom setting BUGS summer
students spend time in the garden, the kitchen and the farm stand. Through training
and shared experiences students gain a deeper understanding of agriculture,
organic food, and the impact that making thoughtful, healthy choices has on
themselves as well as the environment.
1. BUGS Five Week Summer Program
In our fve week summer program students 30-40 students spend their time
learning the science behind gardening, writing, and creating art in the natural
setting that surrounds them. By connecting science, nature and nutritious food
students are encouraged to understand that their choices have a powerful efect
on their bodies as well as on nature, the environment and their communities.
Students take the vegetables they grew into the kitchen and cook healthy organic
lunches for each other. In our other classroom, the farm stand, students learn
small business practices and utilize their math skills as they price, market, and sell
produce from the garden.
2. BUGS One-Week Summer Camps
BUGS has doubled their summer participants from thirty in 2012 to sixty-fve
in 2013 by adding the program to include two one-week camps for younger
ages.
1. Culinary Camp A la Carte. Limited to seven, youth ages ten to
thirteen spend one week in the BUGS kitchen learning how to create
meals from fresh organic garden produce. Students experience the
process of making healthy lunches and also learn the basics of cooking,
such as knife skills, sauting and baking.
2. Sprouts Camp. In the BUGS outdoor garden classroom, students
ages six to nine learn where food comes from, soil and compost
ecosystems, the importance of insects in the garden, plant parts and
their growth! BUGS Sprouts connect with agriculture by discovering
the source of their food. They discover the science behind young
plant growth and how seeds sprout into a bud or a shoot, which then
becomes a plant and eventually our food.
SCHOOL PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Local schools and other youth programs are invited each Spring and Fall to wander
through our gardens as part of the BUGS Digging In School and Group Field Trips
Program. Twelve schools (approx 600 students) are signed up this year to take
these garden strolls which open up conversations with students and educators
about where our food comes from and why it is important to know. As participants
tour the BUGS garden they get to participate in activities that facilitate a better
understanding of the art and science behind an organic garden.
3. BUGS Digging In School Program
Digging In is a workshop series that BUGS ofers to Treasure Valley
elementary schools. Each workshop is designed to be an extension of the
traditional classroom curriculum with the focus on teaching students the
science and the nutritional benefts of gardening.
4. BUGS Field Trips School Program
Through our Field Trip program hundreds of students visit the BUGS garden
every year and discover how a small-scale urban farm operates. In the Spring
of 2013 ffteen area schools participated in this program which brought
nearly 500 elementary aged students into the BUGS garden. We are excited
to announce that through our 2014 Field Trips Program this year we will
conduct ffteen feld trips from twelve diferent schools that will lead approx.
800-900 students into a deeper understanding of what constitutes nutritional
food, where it comes from and why it is important. A minimum fee of $75 is
charged for each feld trip. This helps to cover the cost of providing a BUGS
guide as well as program supplies. For groups over twenty-fve students a $3
per student fee is charged.
Educators can choose from one of our fve unique feld trip themes:
1. Where Does Our Food Come From? Students in this class discover
that there are strange parts of plants known as food.
2. Soil and Compost. Students learn about and explore up close the
ecosystems of soil and compost.
3. Seeds. Students become familiar with the diferent parts of seeds.
Seeds might be collected, dissected or used to create art during this
feld trip.
4. Plant Growth and Parts. Students investigate the garden for stems,
leaves and roots to taste and learn about plant growth.
5. Insects and Pollinators. Students examine the crawling, fying and
creeping friends of the garden, understand their jobs and discover
how important these insects and pollinators are to the success of the
garden.

5. Just Add Water!
BUGS has developed a extremely successful manual called, Just Add Water.
The goal of this manual is to assist schools in creating and maintaining
a school garden program of their own. Within the manual are lesson and
garden plans as well as the option of ongoing educator training and support
from BUGS the staf.
In January 2014 BUGS initiated an annual Just Add Water teacher training
workshop. Over 60 teachers, parents and principals from Southern Idaho
were given our manual and came to learn how to create and sustain a school
garden. BUGS partnered with Idaho Botanical Garden and the University
of Idaho Canyon County Extension ofce for this workshop where they
brainstormed about how to engage youth in caring about a greener future.
This was so popular that with funding BUGS will add a second workshop in
Fall 2014.
6. Spread Your Roots (SYR)
In this unique program we turn former students into BUGS leaders, teachers
and garden architects. SYR was developed to encourage and support
continuing BUGS students. Established for students who have spent at least
two years participating in our Summer Program, SYR participants will gain
extensive working knowledge about sustainable agriculture and then share
their passion through leadership at BUGS. They will teach lesson plans to
younger BUGS students, run the farm stand and participate in community
presentations and instruction.
7. Fall Harvest (ofered in September only)
In the Autumn students can join us to celebrate the harvest by partaking
in its bounty, celebrating with music and story telling and taking part in
other garden activities like learning about pollinators, watching cooking
demonstrations, taking garden tours and receiving health-based lesson plans.
All of which make up the BUGS Fall Harvest experience.
Who is your Constituency? How are they actively involved in your work and
how do they beneft from this program or organization?
Since 2012 the diverse programs developed by BUGS have blossomed to serve
upwards of 4,500 Treasure Valley residents annually. We are especially proud to
be able to serve many low-income youth and their families. Title I schools and
low-income students constitute about 75% of BUGS current enrolment. With the
addition of a new permanent facility we expect that BUGS will be in a position to
serve approx 1,000 extra local children each year and approx 500 adult residents
through the farm stand. In our current location BUGS provided over 6,700 hours
of interactive education during the last year. 1,434 kids had fun in the garden while
learning about the benefts of growing, harvesting and eating healthy organic food.
We expect that the new facility and garden will enable us to ofer the community
over 10,000 hours of educational programming annually afecting approx.
4,500 each year. It is especially important for this demographic to gain a clearer
understanding of how personal decisions about food impact not only ones health,
but also the health of the environment.
Describe Your Community
Though our constituents come from all over the Treasure Valley the presence of our
new garden will have a direct impact on the youth and families located in Boises
West Bench neighborhood near the intersection of Five Mile and Ustick. This area
has many unique challenges. First of all, there are seven schools within close
proximity of our new facility and garden, all of which have a high percentage (55-
78%) of low-income children. Secondly, a substantial population of refugee families
live on the Bench as well. And fnally, there is not a lot of after-school programs for
the kids, there are very few parks and summer and other supplemental programs
are scarce.
Describe your request. What problems, needs or issues does it address?
Logically, it is not a stretch to say that sick kids will most likely become sick adults
or children with poor eating habits will become adults with poor eating habits. There
is a plethora of research that is concluding that health and disease are directly
related to diet and nutrition not only in adults, but early on in life. There is so much
research about the connection of these things that we will just state a few here to
establish the need and problem that BUGS is addressing:
In 2010 The Journal of the American Medical Association found a 13.8
percent increase in childrens chronic health conditions between 1994
and 2006. They went on to conclude that ... both childhood physical and
mental health problems result in poorer adult health... [Delaney, Liam, &
Smith, James P. (2012). Cited in a journal published by Princeton University
and the Brookings Institution. Childhood Health: Trends and Consequences
over the Life Course, Children with Disabilities Vol. 22 Number 1 Spring
2012]
The Journal of Pediatric Psychology states that pediatric overweight is
often cited as the most pressing health problem among todays children
(Robinson, 2008). Obesity is considered an important pediatric health
issue because child weight status is directly related to adult health
status, independent of adult weight status (Dietz, 1998). In other words,
if an individual is overweight as a child, even if they lose weight prior
to adulthood, being overweight as a child can result in many negative
health outcomes such as diabetes, heart disease, orthopedic issues, and
sleep difculties (Must & Strauss, 1999). Children who are overweight
or obese are also likely to remain obese as adults (Guo et al., 2000) and
have increased rates of psychosocial problems, such as poor quality of
life (Zeller, Roehrig, Modi, Daniels, & Inge, 2006). [Journal of Pediatric
Psychology 36 (6) pp. 669676 2011: Obesity and Related Health
Behaviors Among Urban and Rural Children in the United States: Data
from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 20032004 and
20052006]
The July 2005 issue of Maternal & Child Nutrition says that the risk of
developing chronic disease in adults is infuenced not only by genetic and
adult lifestyle factors, but also by environmental factors acting in early life.
[Maternal & Child Nutrition, Volume 1, Issue 3, pages 130141, July 2005]
The January 1997 Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology concludes that
since the social and economic circumstances that afect child health
have changed greatly in recent years in some ways which are particularly
adverse, we need now to be aware of the implications of such change not
only for the health of children today, but also for their health in adulthood.
[Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology; Volume 11, Issue 1, pages 220,
January 1997]
The Journal of Epidemiol Community Health in 2003 cited a research study
taken in 1937 that measured the fruit and vegetable intake of children and
then followed them for 60 years examining the associations between food
and nutrient intake in relationship to and adult cancer. They found that
an increased childhood fruit intake was associated with reduced risk of
incident cancer. They also found that childhood fruit consumption may
have a long term protective efect on cancer risk in adults... [Maynard,
Gunnell, Emmett, Frankel, Davey Smith]
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The national tendency toward childhood obesity and disease is also a problem here
in our own state. In a 2010 report from the Trust for Americas Health reported that
Idaho ranked 42nd in the nation with childhood obesity and disease issues. [Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation]
Childhood disease is rampant among the poor and uneducated. The lack of money
in a low income household plays an increasingly powerful role in both hunger and
obesity and the high cost of healthy, organic food is largely prohibitive to low-
income families. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare points out in their
Healthy Eating, Active Living 2009 report that poorer households often rely on
cheap, highly processed food to combat growling stomachs. Children with weight-
related issues develop a multitude of health problems including high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes. A statewide study in 2008 by the Center for
Disease Control (CDC) indicated that nearly 82% of Idaho children eat less than the
recommended fve servings of fruits and vegetables daily and over 30% of school
children tested were either overweight or obese.
Dr.s Jef and Adrian Hazim (Wellwithu.com) contend that we can not rely on the
health-care system as it currently is to learn how to stay well. From Dr. Hazims
Disease Economy research he states that, In the U.S. alone, $2.64 trillion was
spent on healthcare in 2011. This industry swallows up almost 18% of the entire
U.S. economy, the largest economy in the world....The numbers are staggering, and
yet, as a population we just keep getting sicker. The U.S. devotes far more of its
money to healthcare (really disease care) than any other nation on Earth. In 2011,
we spent nearly $8,500 for each of our 313 million citizens...Life expectancy in the
U.S. ranks somewhere between 36th and 38th in the world at just over 78 years;
right below the U.S. in the rankings is Cuba...and Cuba spends less than $200 per
person per year on healthcare... So, what is the $8,300 in extra expense buying
Americans? Obviously nothing with regard to life expectancy, but it does support
a thriving disease economy! The WellwithU Team of leading holistic doctors state
that we must move from trusting allopathic medicine to fx our disease problem
to embracing a nutritional and holistic approach to our lifestyle and diet if we
are going to prevent disease. They say that nutrition is the key factor to avoiding
disease. Hazim concludes that healthy choices early on lead to health and life while
uneducated and poor choices lead to disease and death.
Another problem is that even though Idaho has a history rich in agriculture, Idaho
farms along with all farms nationwide have been in a state of decline since the
USDA started taking farm census back as early as 1960. This trend hasnt helped
the dietary habits of our children. According to the Idaho State Department of
Agriculture, Idaho lost 103 dairies between 2007 and 2012 and Idaho declined in
farm numbers from 2007 to 2012 by 2.1 percent. The USDA reports that farms
in Idaho have decreased from 37,200 farms in 1964
1
to 24,500 farms in Idaho in
2013.
2
This trend is separating our Idahoan children from a relationship with the
land, an agricultural inheritance and a more natural way of life and eating that
Idahoans frst experienced. Our children need to re-experience a natural, real and
healthier option. A way of life that is part of the inheritance of being an Idahoan.
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1
Decrease in Number of Farms Continues 1964 Total 28 Percent Under 10
Years Earlier. [January 17, 1964. The United States Department of Agriculture
Statistical Reporting Service. Crop Reporting Board, Washington, D.C.; Sp Sy
3 (1-64)] http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/FarmLandIn//1960s/1964/
NumbFarmLa-01-17-1964.pdf
2
USDA, Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012
Summary [February 2013; http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/
FarmLandIn//2010s/2013/FarmLandIn-02-19-2013.pdf]

In regards to the huge agri-business in Idaho The Idaho Commerce that says that
Idahos food and agribusiness industry has grown from $73 million in 1970 to
$1.43 billion in 2009 also states that if only Idahoans ate everything we (in Idaho)
produced, we would each have to consume 219 slices of bread, 44 potatoes, 40
glasses of milk, an 8-ounce steak (or 2 1/4 burgers), 2 onions, and 2 cups of beans
EVERY DAY! So why does the research conclude that one in six Idaho residents is
food insecure? NoKidHungry.org defnes this as the percentage of children under
eighteen years old living in households that experience limited or uncertain avail-
ability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods at some point during the year. While
many entities like The Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture and The Treasure
Valley Food Coalition are working hard to fght hunger in our state, access to fresh
healthy produce for many families continues to be very limited and the costs can
make organic foods seem out of reach.
A problem contributing to nutritional problems nationwide is the prevalence and
expansion of areas referred to as food deserts. Though there is no specifc study
for Idaho, we can not possibly be an exception to this growing problem. The Center
for Disease Control and Prevention defnes food deserts as areas that lack access
to afordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat milk, and other foods that
make up the full range of a healthy diet. The U.S. Food, Conservation and Energy
Act of 2008 defnes a food desert as an area with limited access to afordable and
nutritious food, particularly such areas composed of predominantly lower income
neighborhoods and communities. According to the Treasure Valley Food Coalition
(TVFC) studies have shown that when access to fresh foods is limited, residents
can sufer health consequences...These studies have broad implications: on one
hand, fast food may be more afordable than fresh ingredients required to prepare
healthy meals; alternatively, even if residents have access to fresh foods, they lack
knowledge, preparation skills and utensils necessary to prepare fresh meals. As
such, [there is] a higher ratio of obesogenic infuences... (Spence et al, 2009) The
article goes on to say that with grant and loan opportunities partnerships can be
developed that focus on community involvement to provide meaningful change
towards the elimination of food deserts while encouraging healthy, local food
access.
The TVFC continues to say that food deserts are matters that urban planners
should be concerned with. BUGS, which is partnering with the city and private
sponsors, is acting as an urban planner concerned with eliminating food deserts
near the Comba Park. As we lay the groundwork to turn the abandoned city barn
and adjacent property in the new Comba Park into a thriving educational space we
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will not only educate our local community about making good food choices, but
also give them access to gardens which are growing organic food, which we hope
will give families all over Boise a sense of permission to grow their own organic food
as well. BUGS has risen to the challenge and is becoming part of the solution in
Southern Idaho by ofering programs that teach the next generation how to plant,
harvest and prepare organic food. To ofer SNAP for local families to use at their
farm stand to buy organic produce is a future goal of BUGS.
BUGS programs educate children on what are considered healthy foods foods
that prevent disease. Students are encouraged to create new dietary habits and
are shown how to eat healthy. In the BUGS gardens young people are eating raw
carrots, peas and green beans along with peers establishing a sense of eating
good food is normal. The BUGS experience and education help to provide Idahoan
children more information and hands-on experiences that will help them grow into
healthy adults. BUGS is dedicated to empowering Idahoan children to making
wise food choices through giving children the keys and experiences they need
to understand the benefts of eating high quality, nutritious organic food. BUGS
is bringing Idahoan children back to a relationship with the land of Idaho and is
empowering the next generation to improve their future by making well-informed
choices that will help them avoid obesity and disease. BUGS believes they can
inspire the next generation to avoid processed foods and embrace healthy eating
as a way to nourish their bodies. Thus protecting against disease with a body that
operates optimally. BUGS programming provides children fresh healthy garden
produce and helps them understand the importance of developing and supporting
a local sustainable food system. The need is great for childhood education,
because in fact, todays children will become tomorrows adults. BUGS students are
encouraged to get their hands in the dirt, eat what is grown in the soil and spend
time outside away from all technology devices in the fresh air of beautiful Idaho.
If other than general operating support, describe the program for which you
seek funding, why you decided to pursue this project and whether it is a new
or ongoing part of your organization.
We are seeking general operating support for our programs and new garden.
What are the goals, objectives and activities/strategies involved in this
request? Describe your specifc activities/strategies using a time line over the
course of this request.
In 1999 Dr. Trudy Comba donated 3.5 acres (located at 2995 N Five Mile Rd) with an
on-site barn to the City of Boise for future Parks and Recreation use. Unfortunately,
since its donation, the barn and property have been abandoned and damaged.
BUGS is currently making plans to build/renovate it into a 1,500 square foot
educational space through a partnership with the City Parks and Recreation and
the Comba family. Together we have formed a relationship that is committed to the
restoration of the barn facility and surrounding park areas.
BUGS will raise the funds to restore the barn, adding a commercial kitchen for
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culinary lessons and developing the adjacent 3/4 acre into an organic garden to
implement our youth programming. The kitchen and garden will act as centrepieces
for our programs. The BUGS education facility and corresponding garden is actually
only part of a larger City project at the Comba Park. Due to open July 1st, 2014 the
new park will include many wonderful amenities that will attract scores of people
of all ages. Comba park will ofer a greater sense of community to those living in
the West Valley Neighborhood and a once fragmented neighborhood will begin to
unite, community relationships will be strengthened and BUGS facility and garden
will be at the center of it all! We are excited to establish and implement our unique,
environmental education and culinary programming for Treasure Valley youth in a
permanent facility at Comba Park!
With the completion of our new education center and in partnership with the City,
BUGS will have access to additional youth in our community serving at least 1,000
youth each year through new programs. In 2015, the new education facility will
also be serving as an after school community center that will be managed and
facilitated by the City of Boise. BUGS staf will be able to work with these youth in
our garden, kitchen and classroom on a weekly basis; an opportunity that would not
be available without the current partnership. The new facility will also enable BUGS
staf to open a second summer program and double the number of feld trips and
workshops ofered to students in our community. Additionally, the new education
center will allow BUGS to ofer refugee and low income families in the West Valley
Neighborhood the opportunity to participate in after school programming that has
so far been unavailable to them.
The Idaho Botanical Garden is our close partner and ally. While we have some
overlapping themes in our educational programming, we work together to ensure
that we are not duplicating services in our community and we work to complement
each others current programs. Beginning in the spring of 2014, BUGS and the
Idaho Botanical Garden will provide a joint youth Saturday program. We are excited
to ofer this joint programming at the new facility.
The commercial kitchen is scheduled for completion in late 2014. Upon completion
of the barn, kitchen, and garden, BUGS will begin youth programming and culinary
classes in spring of 2015. Upon completion of the kitchen and the barn in 2014,
BUGS will relocate our ofce to the new space, saving over $5,000 each year in
rent and utility expenses. Increased program participants and an on-site farm stand
will contribute to the future sustainability of our new educational facility. BUGS staf
will continue fund raising eforts so we can keep our programming fees low and
continue ofering program scholarships.
BUGS has signed a 20 year no-rent lease at the new Comba Park location. The City
of Boise will sustain the building and the surrounding park area indefnitely. At the
end of 20 years the City will give BUGS the chance to renew the lease with frst right
of refusal. At that time, a no-rent agreement will again be negotiated.
How does your work promote diversity and address inequality, oppression and
discrimination within your organization as well as the larger society?
BUGS believes in providing all children the opportunity to learn about gardening and
eating good food. For that reason BUGS will continue fund raising eforts to keep
our programming fees low and continue to ofer full and partial scholarships to any
student in need.
Not only will the location of our new site provide easy access to neighborhood
children wishing to participate in BUGS programs, but our presence will ofer a
greater sense of community to those living in the West Valley Neighborhood. As
stated before, impoverished and refugee families will be able to take part in our after
school programming that might have otherwise been unavailable to them. A once
fragmented neighborhood will begin to come together by encouraging a variety of
community relationshipsand BUGS will be at the center of it all.
Describe systemic or social change you are trying to achieve: How does your
work address and change the underlying or root causes of the problem?
Rather than looking to create large social change BUGS seeks to transform
one childs future at a time by reshaping the way they see food. Through the
implementation of a unique and creative health education program a child comes
into contact with gardening and nutrition and begins to have conversations about
why our food choices matter. The BUGS curriculum encourages self-sustaining
skills and leadership in a number of ways:
#1. The experience of growing food is highly interdependent with issues
related to food consumption.
ABPP published an article on May 29, 2012 in Psychology Today called Do the
Right Thing by Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D. He wrote that, If you want to develop
good health habits that are associated with a longer, healthier, and happier life you
have to start earlyvery early! He also said, that research and clinical practice
clearly shows that health habits develop very early in life and, once well established,
are exceedingly difcult to change. This is why it is so critically important to
maintain a healthy diet ... at young ages.
It is clear that in order to establish good dietary habits and positive fundamentals for
a students future health, children must be exposed to new foods and learn the skills
to create wholesome meals with fresh fruits and vegetables. We have found that
it is more likely that a child will eat a vegetable if they were the ones who planted
it, cultivated it and harvested it. Children participating in BUGS programming are
taking what they grow into the kitchen. This is a crucial step in teaching our youth
the importance of choosing healthy foods and developing healthy eating habits.
This methodology is implemented in hopes that it will facilitate positive and lasting
change in the eating behaviors of children. Our programs are designed to help
children establish new preferences and learn the skills necessary for good nutrition.
Students who make savory meals with veggies they grow are more likely to
incorporate healthy elements into dish preparation. Habits and skills formed at an
early age can help children become adults who make responsible healthy food
choices when they go to the market and as they prepare meals at home. Learning
these necessary skills at a young age will serve them and their families well later on
in life.
#2. Environmental stewardship is strengthened through hands-on learning.
The American Forest Foundations environmental education program Project
Learning Tree (PLT) says Schools must prepare our next generation with the skills
necessary to address complex environmental issues.
In an 8-month case study called Promoting Environmental Stewardship through
Gardens: A Case Study of Childrens Views of an Urban School Garden conducted
by The JCACS, Queens University, researchers investigated how school garden
programs afected students stewardship habits. The study concluded that school
garden programs provide a potentially meaningful way to promote childrens
sense of connection to nature. The study also showed that by connecting
children to nature through care taking and harvesting the children developed
environmentally responsible habits of stewardship. They found that it was crucial
to help children make physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and intellectual
connections with nature. The case study concluded that providing real, hands-on
connections to nature and increasing our understanding about the production of
our food is an important means for redressing damage to the planet caused by
human consumption and our collective failure to connect with the natural world
(Upitis, 2010). The study found that some of these connections lead to a sense
of ownership compelling children to want to protect places that they love. The
study found fve essential components to environmental education (All fve of these
elements are present in BUGS programs):
1. Being in the environment
2. Learning about real life
3. Engaging all the senses
4. Learning by doing
5. Having local context
#3. Spending time in nature helps young people both physiologically and
psychologically.
It has been shown that school gardening positively increases self-esteem. Not only
does gardening help students develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, but
it also helps foster relationships with family members. Researchers Alexander &
Hendren (1998) confrms that there are psychological and physical health benefts
to children when they have experiences in the natural world. For instance, there is
a measurable reduction in the symptoms of Attention Defcit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD) when children are free to explore nature. Dr. Frances Kuo who is the
Director of the Landscape and Human Health Laboratory at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign has completed many studies on the efects of nature on
kids. In one study of children diagnosed with ADHD he found a strong association
between the childrens symptoms and the play setting. He found that in a green
play environment, the children were able to function better.
Richard Louv, the author of the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children
from Nature-Defcit Disorder says that children are sufering both physically and
emotionally because they are growing up inside. A directed program in a natural
setting such as the BUGS garden is not only a highly benefcial resource for modern
children but arguably a necessary one.
#4. Early horticulture-based experiential education afects a students
academic success.
It is evident that we need to help students in disadvantaged schools improve
academic skills in science, math and reading. The National Assessment of
Educational Progress shows that elementary students scores from low-income
families are signifcantly less than more afuent students.
The National Center on Time Learnings Strengthening Science Education Report
says, For many young people, interest and success in science will turn out to be
a catalyst for their engagement in school overall. Studies have found that science
achievement test scores are afected by garden-based learning and that students
who gain basic principles of scientifc understanding in elementary and high school
will meet secondary education classes with less struggles. REAL School Gardens,
a nonproft organization operating in both Washington, D.C. and Texas had a three-
year external evaluation done by PEER Associates, Inc. The study showed that 94%
of teachers acknowledged that their students were more engaged as a result of
the gardens program. Furthermore, 90% said the garden-based curriculum made
them, as teachers, better able to help students succeed. Additionally, this U.S.
News & World Report presented on March 20, 2014 saw a 12-15% increase in their
students scores on standardized tests, with the largest benefts in science. The
BUGS garden, along with our corresponding garden-based education, positively
impacts our students early scientifc comprehension and their overall scholastic
performance.
Evaluation
BUGS staf is continually evaluating the efectiveness of our programs. Program
assessment guides our curriculum development and all future programming.
Adjustments and revisions are made as needed. BUGS uses various evaluation and
assessment tools in order to measure the success of our programs.
1. We use pre and post program surveys to examine the efectiveness of
our programs.
Our surveys utilize traditional and nontraditional questionnaire formations that refect
upon and follow up on the goals we have for each student. These goals include
connection with nature, environmental stewardship and awareness, lifestyle/
wellness behaviors, and knowledge of concepts. The anonymous pre and post
program surveys examine the knowledge the children retain and measures changes
in their attitudes. In past BUGS surveys students self-reported a 39.5% increase in
their understanding of topics such as how to grow a tomato and then how to cook
or serve that tomato that is covered through BUGS curriculum.
Sample survey questions:
I like the taste of fruits and vegetables
I know how to prepare myself a healthy meal
I eat ___ fruits/vegetables per day
I understand the living and nonliving components of an ecosystem
I know the diference between Organic and Conventional Agriculture
I feel I have the skills to help others grow their own food
I understand how farm stands afect the local economy
2. Evaluation comes naturally through the communication between
student and teacher
Communication between students and instructors is an integral part of each
BUGS activity. Interaction during the entire program not only gives students the
opportunity to build on previous knowledge, but also gives instructors a way to
evaluate each students comprehension of the material. This information is used
by the instructor to give immediate and long term feedback to students and the
program formation.
3. Journals are employed to analyse data, record observations in the
garden, and document the students own journey.
Students are provided with journals in which to track science experiments and
results, and to record such details as new foods they try. But students are also able
to evaluate their own successes by documenting their experiences in daily journal
entries. Journal entries are a way of recording changes in the students attitudes
and opinions about gardening, the environment, and nutrition. Students also journal
about their personal health.
The journals are useful for instructors who can modify instruction based upon
students real-time refections. While these documents provide evidence of learning
they also indicate which students might need a little extra help and make the
instructor aware of ideas which might need to be re-examined by the entire group.
4. How many gardens? How many manuals? How many students?
BUGS also evaluates the success of their programs in the numbers of schools and
instructors that are using their Just Add Water manual (60), the number of school
gardens (4) that they are building around the Treasure Valley and how many students
(4,000) come through their gardens every year.
But, of course, the best way to measure our success is by the smiles on our students
faces, how much get dirt gets all over their hands and clothes, when they snack on a
carrot or a handful of peas right out of the garden and when they are excited to come
back and plant some more!
Organizational Structure / Administration. How does your organization work?
BUGS has a staf of two full-time employees and one part-time garden manager
and is accountable to a board of ten members who are committed to the success of
our programs. Executive Director Erin Guerricabeitia has been with the organization
for three years. Early in 2014, BUGS hired Campbell Diebolt as our program
coordinator. Campbell comes to BUGS with over seven years of environmental
education experience. Together with many volunteers and interns we now oversee
four gardens throughout the Treasure Valley. The BUGS team works hard to ensure
the long-term sustainability of our programs while seeking to expand the number of
youth we serve in the Treasure Valley.
Who will be carrying out the plans outlined in this request? The BUGS Executive
Director, Erin Guerricabeitia.
Board of Directors and demographic info:
Erin Guerricabeitia Executive Director
Erin has a long history working in the non-proft feld in program
management and fund development. Erin joined the BUGS staf in March
of 2011.
Deb Holleran Board President
Deb is a 30 year resident of the Treasure Valley & has been active in the
non-proft sector during that time. Deb has been a volunteer on several
non-proft committees & boards during the past 30 years. She brings her
life-long interest in children, health and education to the table.
Greg Martinez Treasurer
Greg is a 26-year resident of Boise and has worked at Boise State
University in the College of Education since 1990. He has been the
director of the TRiO Student Success Program since 1995 and the TRiO
McNair Scholars Program since 2003. Both are educational opportunity
programs for low-income and frst-generation college students. Greg holds
a degree in geology.
Anne Jestadt Secretary
Anne has lived in Boise nearly all her life. Her daughter Samantha will
start her fourth year at BUGS/SYR next summer. Anne and her family
are committed to local food and community-supported agriculture which
supports sustainable, organic practices.
Carolyn Frazier Board Member
Carolyn has her BS in Agriculture with emphasis in Plant Science and
her MS in Ornamental Horticulture, both from Western Virginia University.
She has spent her professional career in the ornamental horticulture
feld, landscape design and installation, teaching landscape maintenance
for landscape professionals, pest control operators and adult/student
education horticulture classes.
Merdith Newton Board Member
Meredith Newton was born and raised in Boise. Meredith is an Account
Manager for Cisco Systems, Inc. Meredith appreciates the focus of
education for the community, young and old, that BUGS brings to the
Boise area.
Nate Peterson Board Member
Nate is a ffth generation Idahoan who lives with his family in Northwest
Boise. He graduated from Boise State University with a degree in
Economics and graduated from the Gonzaga University School of Law.
He is a returned U.S. Peace Corps volunteer having completed his service
in the former-Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Beth Schadd Board Member
After spending 9 months at the McCall Outdoor Science School, she is
now fnishing two masters degrees in Conservation Social Science and
Education-Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Idaho. She
enjoys working with youth and engaging them in hands-on, physical
activities.
Tami Springer Board Member
Tami is a senior associate at Pickens Law, a boutique law frm specializing
in real estate and commercial litigation. Tami has a deep connection to
Boise including ties to the restaurant and legal community through her
volunteer work representing Court-Appointed Guardians Ad Litem in
child protective services for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates),
serving on boards for the Idaho Womens Business Center and the Ada
County Waterways Advisory Committee, and various other community
organizations. She is also afliated with community centered leadership
programs including Leadership Boise, Go Lead, and the Andrus Center for
Public Policys events regarding Women and Leadership. Tamis passion
for education, helping inspire disadvantaged children, food, gardening,
and the Boise community led her to BUGS in the fall of 2013.
Sherri Battazzo Board Member
John Larson Board Member
How are board members selected?
Our executive committee consisting of our board president, vice president,
secretary and treasurer selects our board. New board members are recruited in the
fall and are accepted in December of each year.
An organizational chart.
Finances (attached)
BUGS 2014 OPERATING BUDGET
Our operating budget this year is $108,000.00. The operating budget includes
the executive directors salary, ofce rent and utilities and operating expenses
such as general liability insurance (these items are not included in the Program
Budget.
2013 Annual Report information:
Income:
Individual Donors .........$34,380
Grants ..........................$22,265
Events ..........................$11,750
Program Fees ..............$11,360
Sponsorship .................$10,000
Garden Management ...$5,000
Farm Stand ..................$500
Expenses:
Programs ..................... $90,195
Administrative ............. $15,000
Fund raising ................. $4660
BUGS 2014 PROGRAM BUDGET
Our program budget this year is $50,630.00. This budget accounts for program
supplies, stafng costs, facility rental and program marketing items. Projected
funding for BUGS 2014 programming will come from three areas:
Projected Foundation grants of $20,000
Projected Registration fees of $15,000
Projected Individual donations of $15,000
List other funding sources. Include amounts and whether received or pending:
We have a budget of $160,000 for the barn restoration at Comba Park. We need
to restore the barn from its current state to proper building code including but not
limited to updating the electrical, HVAC, plumbing, etc. Currently, we have secured
the following resources:
$950 from the Idaho Horticulture Society to fund drip-line irrigation
$100,000 from the Comba Family to fund the barn restoration. They have
joined up with the eforts of a local contractor, Doug Ewing who has
agreed to donate his services and time to the project. He will work with
sub-contractors at a greatly reduced cost.
BUGS is currently seeking the following:
A $30,000 grant from Idaho Womens Charitable Foundation (IWCF) to
build the commercial kitchen with all the infrastructure needed for it. This
will include commercial grade equipment and storage cupboards for the
kitchen, work stations, tables, and chairs for the indoor classroom.
A $1,000 Lunaria Grant to build and install a garden shed
A $10, 500 Century Link grant to build a 20 x 30 pergola
A $3,000 grant from Kampe to help us develop the adjacent garden
Any supplemental funds we need for the project will be raised through foundation
grants, corporate partnerships, individual and in-kind donations.
Though BUGS Summer Programs costs $568 per student to administer we are able
to provide them at a reduced cost of $250. We also ofer full or partial scholarships
for any student in real need. It is our policy to never turn a child away because of
their inability to pay, ever.
Recent newsletter articles:
On March 19, 2014 BUGS was featured in Boise Weekly. Read the article
at: http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/bugs-its-not-easy-growing-green/
Content?oid=3077329
There is an article about BUGS coming up in the next issue of Edible Idaho South.
Recent Annual Report (available upon request)
Attach a copy of your IRS 501(c)(3) (attached)
New Kitchen Expenses
New Pergola
New barn project budget
The barn budget does not include funds to build the actual barn structure,
only BUGS fundraising responsibility.