by Staff Reports

published April 4, 2007 12:15 am

credit: Special to the Citizen-Times, Courtesy of ASAP

Henderson County Head Start children and their families learned about healthy foods and local agriculture at an event last week organized by The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and Western Carolina Community Action.

Hendersonville – The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and Western Carolina Community Action kicked off a new project Thursday to help Henderson County children and their families develop positive attitudes toward healthy food and build awareness of local agriculture.

The event, held at the main Head Start site in Henderson County, was a mix of hands-on activities. Children and their families planted vegetable gardens, the chef from the Hendersonville Co-Op showed them how to prepare hummus and tabouli, and everyone shared a meal.

The project is designed to address children's health issues through educational farm field trips, establishing a school garden, helping the center source local food for meals and demonstrating healthy cooking. It's a part of ASAP's Growing Minds program and is funded through a grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

For more, call 236-1282 or 693-1711.