Program cultivates self-esteem along with produce

By SARA EDMONDS
SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. -- What started out as a simple survey of what would make life better for residents of La Casa San Jose apartments, turned into a youth program focusing on education and gardening. "Parents said they wanted a safe place where their kids could get help with their homework and have some recreational opportunities," said Leah VanderStoep, resident services coordinator for the Archdiocesan Housing Authority, which operates the 50-unit property for farm workers and their families. VanderStoep's survey led to a summer program that has blossomed - and with it a half-acre vegetable garden tended by the adult residents and their children, all of whom are Latino. Not only are the children gaining knowledge in gardening, the vegetables they plant are picked and taken home to be eaten. Read more>