Families visiting the local WIC office now have the opportunity to test out their green thumb.
WIC has built a small garden behind its Franklin office, located at 600 Ironwood Drive, with the hope of educating children about healthy eating habits and encouraging families to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. The grant-funded program provides new mothers, expectant mothers and children up to age 5 with benefits to buy food at local grocery stores and farmer’s markets.
Coordinator Tracy Smith came up with the idea for the garden last summer, she said.
The Indiana State Department of Health is always looking for new ways to reduce childhood obesity. Smith thought this might be a good way the local WIC office could help combat that, she said.
“We thought, why not have a garden here?” Smith said. “That way, when kids come in for their WIC appointment, we can take them back to the garden and get them interested in it.”
The office is offering free educational sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. weekdays for children in the WIC program, where they will read a book in the garden and get a vegetable seed packet to take home.
Smith spent about 40 hours building the raised and pallet garden bed, which has carrots, green beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, chives, strawberries, cucumbers and several herbs. McCarty Mulch and Stone in Greenwood donated mulch for the garden and Johnson County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates office donated a bench.
