Haiku Elementary Receives $20K from Miracle-Gro

Mayor Alan Arakawa (2nd from left) and state Senator J. Kalanai English (4th from left) were on-hand to witness the $20,000 donation from Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Photo courtesy of Haiku Elementary School.

By Sonia Isotov

The Haiku Elementary School Garden recently received a $20,000 grant from the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company to expand its Haiku School Garden project, an organic gardening program.

“The gift is intended to further enhance this wonderful organic garden, and involved the children in something positive and productive with the hope that they apply these values to other aspects of their lives,” said John Kondo, the regional corporate community manager at Scotts, in a written statement.

As part of their community outreach strategy, Scotts will partner with ACE Hardware on the project.

“We all can’t wait to see how far the kids can grow in this dream the Haiku community has started,” said Russell Kashiwa, the local Scotts Miracle-Gro Sales manager.

“We are tremendously blessed to have their support and focus on organic gardening. Jenna Tallman, our garden coordinator, comes with a wealth of knowledge about bokashi and organic gardening. We’re excited that the Scotts grant will be put to good use educating our students and enriching their lives,” said Bernice Takahata, the prinicipal at Haiku Elementary School.

According to Jenna Tallman, Haiku School Garden Coordinator, the grant will be used to re-build raised garden beds, a tool shed and germination room. “The students love to work in the garden, and we can create areas for them to journal and keep track of garden growth,” said Tallman.