Solais Chríost pupils help launch Let’s Grow initiative

NOT-for-profit social enterprise, GIY and SuperValu have teamed up for the second year to bring the ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ programme to another 50,000 primary school children throughout Ireland this spring.

This means that 100,000 primary school children will have been educated in growing food through the ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ initiative, having been supplied with the resources to grow their own fresh food for free at school.

The partnership aims to elevate the significance of homegrown food within classrooms and households across Ireland.

The 2024 nationwide campaign was announced at Solas Chríost National School in Tallaght who were crowned the winners of the 2023 initiative, after they developed and adopted their own food growing grading system that accessed how the pupils made food growing even more interesting via creativity and imagination.

The school was awarded with a new school garden to the value of €1,000 from SuperValu which was installed by GIY.

Each school that participates will receive a ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ classroom pack, featuring all the necessary tools for both food growing and food literacy education designed by GIY.

The 2024 packs will include a variety of seeds such as cress, peas, salad leaves, beans and sunflowers.

As well as the seeds, the pack comprises of 32 compostable pots, 32 magic compost discs and an expert GIY resource booklet with growing guides, lessons and activities created by GIY, to enhance the learning experience.

All of the participating schools nationwide will be in with a chance to win a school garden.

Research carried out by GIY shows that when children grow some of their own food they develop what we call “food empathy”, a deeper connection with food, which is proven to lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Building on the success of empowering children to grow their own food in schools, and in line with SuperValu’s sustainability campaign, SuperValu’s ‘Take Local Action, Make Global Impact’ campaign, aimed at showcasing the small actions everyone can take in their homes, stores and towns to make a collective global impact, SuperValu and GIY are excited to announce that the initiative is growing beyond the classroom.

GIY GROWBoxes will also be available in selected SuperValu stores nationwide.

The expansion of the ‘Let’s GROW’ initiative ensures that the joy and learning experience of growing food can extend to every home, allowing families to deepen their connection with the food on their tables.

Last year’s winning teacher Alan McDonnell at Solas Chríost National School in Tallaght, “Alan McDonnell said: “We were delighted to take part in the SuperValu Let’s GROW campaign and we were even more delighted to win.

“The children loved the opportunity to get their hands into the soil and when they saw food growing as a result of their efforts they were hooked.

“This initiative is a brilliant opportunity for children to not only learn a new skill, but also interact with each other and their teachers in a new way and learn all about the food system.”