Michael Bennett's latest project is helping build a garden at the King County Juvenile Detention facility.
Michael Bennett’s offseason of community involvement continued Thursday with the announcement that his foundation is partnering to build the Bennett Foundation Garden within the King County Juvenile Detention facility.
As described by kcyouthjustice.com “the garden seeks to provide students with an opportunity to learn about growing food, healthy eating, and biology through hands-on gardening and art experiences.”
Bennett’s Foundation provided a $5,000 grant for the garden to be built by Interagency Academy students at the KCJD’s Opportunity Skyway site in Georgetown.
Healthy eating and childhood obesity have been at the heart of many of Bennett’s community activities with Bennett once saying, “I think it’s because obesity leads to a lot of different things — cancer, diabetes, so many different things can happen to you because of it and I just wanted to attack something that not a lot of people attack.”
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His latest project is further described by kcyouthjustice.com this way: “The project represents a unique partnership between the Foundation, King County, Interagency Academy (Seattle Public Schools), the King County detention kitchen, and community volunteers. The food in the garden will be planted, maintained, and harvested by students, and will be used in the kitchen to feed the very students who grew the food. This farm-to-table project is also intended to provide a therapeutic educational experience for our students, many of whom have undergone significant trauma in their lives. Funding from the Bennett Foundation is also supporting the design, painting, and installation of food- and nutrition-themed art murals for the detention garden area. These will be created and painted by students in detention with the support of teachers and community volunteers.”
The press release also says that Bennett and his family visited the facility and “spent time speaking with students in the library about topics including goal setting, perseverance, community resources, employment and college, future-planning, and community re-entry.”
Bennett earlier this week also announced an initiative to help educate African girls while also having earlier announced he will donate all earnings from endorsements this season to organizations that help rebuild minority communities and also aid women of color.
Bennett is also holding an O.C.E.A.N Sports Camp in Hawaii on July 9 (O.C.E.A.N stands for fighting Obesity through Community, Education, Activity and Nutrition).