St. Anthony greenhouse blessed

With a new greenhouse and garden beds, students at St. Anthony School are growing vegetables for the poor.

"We now have radishes, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and I think some cauliflower all growing," said first-grade teacher Jan Seely, who organized the project.

The hope is to have enough vegetables grown for their annual Thanksgiving baskets for homeless.

Though Seely always wanted a garden, she realized without a greenhouse, the students would never be able to learn about growing vegetables during the school year.

She received a $1,500 grant at the Fulcrum Foundation, which supports schools under the Archdiocese of Seattle.

The school and community members have given much to the foundation, which offers needed tuition assistance as well as creative initiative grants.

"It's a sign to us that when we give, it always comes back," said Pastor Gary Zender. "We can't out give God."

With worm bins and growing their own seeds, the hope is to make the garden as self-sufficient as possible.

"The children...do the planting. They help care for the worm bins," Seely said. "Last week, the first-graders weeded the whole area outside."

When she ordered the Costco greenhouse, it came in a hundred pieces, which volunteers happily assembled.

Appearing kid-sized in stature, the 8-by-10-foot greenhouse fits perfectly in the school play yard.

"One of the parents built us a raised bed on the outside, and also inside the greenhouse," she said, adding that a parent also donated gravel.

In a community gathering with City Council members Rich Zwicker and Terri Briere, children dedicated the garden to St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers.

Zender formally blessed the garden, while holding a radish Seely picked from the garden.

Contact Renton Reporter Staff Writer Celeste Gracey at cgracey@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5052.

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