Chipotle And Slow Food To Create School Gardens Nationwide

Chipotle and Slow Food USA announced a new initiative to help create or maintain 100 school gardens across the country, in a new movement to help teach kids about where real food comes from, and how healthy food can impact their lives. With a donation of nearly $500,000 from Chipotle, the partnership will help kick off school gardens in inner city areas of need like Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Long Island, Louisville, Miami, Orange County, Phoenix and San Diego.  

"With this new partnership, we want to give children access to a hands-on learning experience at their schools, to teach them how food is grown, and the importance of cooking and healthy eating," said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle in a statement.

In addition to simply setting up the garden, the local Slow Food chapters will  provide educational services, as well as funding for upkeep and labor. Chipotle will also host local fundraisers for the participating schools so that the project can continue long after the initial grant runs out.

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi