COBB, Calif. – More California school children will have access to healthy snacks, nutrition education and information about where their food comes from thanks to the Western Growers Foundation (WGF).

This week, the foundation awarded $15,000 in garden grants along with educator resources to 10 California schools, including Cobb Mountain Elementary.

Bi-annually, WGF awards $1,500 and other resources to California schools that submit applications.

These grants are made possible through funding provided by Monsanto Fund. WGF offered grants to both after school programs and schools, as a way to reach an even broader group of children throughout the state.

“We are committed to raising a garden in every school throughout California,” said WGF Administrator Briana Lewis. “These ten schools demonstrated effective and sustainable garden programs, and we are proud to support them in bringing hands-on nutrition education to students.”

In addition to Cobb Mountain Elementary, WGF awarded grants to:

Alcott Elementary, Riverside

Appleby Elementary, Blythe

JFK High School, Fremont

Marblehead Elementary, San Clemente

Maria Montessori Charter School, Rocklin

Montessori de Terra Linda, San Raphael

Palm Middle School, Lemon Grove

Roseland Elementary, Santa Rosa

Stone Bridge School, Napa

WGF provides financial support to garden-enhanced nutrition education programs. These programs serve to connect students to the source of their food and to encourage the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables – one remedy to the epidemic of childhood obesity.

Current research provides strong evidence that garden-enhanced nutrition education increases academic achievement, improves test scores, and increases children’s consumption of and preference for fruits and vegetables.

These gardens become outdoor classrooms where teachers enrich the curriculum in more than a dozen subjects with hands-on, real world learning.

WGF has funded more than 400 schools to date in California and Arizona. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) public charity that supports innovative nutrition education projects and programs to create healthy individuals and communities.

These projects include online consumer education through Producepedia.com, school-age outreach with the School Garden Program, and efforts that increase access to fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Western Growers is an 85-year-old agricultural trade association whose members from Arizona and California grow, pack and ship about half of the nation’s fresh produce.

Visit Western Growers Foundation at http://www.wga.com/wgf for more information.