River City Scholars Special Ed Students Learn, Give Back at Kids’ Food Basket
One group of special education students from River City Scholars got to lend a helping hand on a recent field trip, learning and volunteering at Kids’ Food Basket.
Kat Lietzau, River City’s social worker, collaborated with the Grand Rapids-based nonprofit to bring students to the Kid’ Food Basket headquarters. The field trip included a tour of the facility and information about the process of getting food, packaging it, and distributing it to the community.
Scholars got to be a part of the process, planting vegetable seeds and then discussing the life cycles of different vegetable plants. Then the group got to tour a greenhouse and even try fresh green beans and tomatoes right off the vine.
The trip ended with a ride on the Kids’ Food Basket tractor and an explanation about composting. River City students helped pick up composting materials while soaking in loads of information.
“They packed a lot in to the day,” Lietzau said. “We could have stayed there all day and that would have been great.”
Students directly helped their community through their efforts, and Lietzau said getting into a different environment and giving back made them feel very excited.
The trip came at no cost to students, and the first-hand look provided a unique experience. Lietzau said she thinks it was the first time these scholars had ever been in a greenhouse.
“I am so thankful for the support from my teammates Hannah Mayberry and Ashley Cline,” Lietzau said. “Everyone was so supportive including Principal Brooke Haslacker, who helped coordinate transportation. It was great that my team could kind of come together and make this trip and experience happen for our students.”