The Mollen Foundation integrates standard-aligned food education across core academic subjects during the school day at Title 1 schools. We aim to teach students about growing and cooking healthy meals while alleviated daily stressors through mindfulness.
At the Mollen Foundation, our approach is to facilitate learning in such a way that students know their unique contribution and share it with others. Our school programs transcend beyond the garden and kitchen to teach essential life skills, empowering students to develop healthy connections to food, themselves, and others.
Learning is brought to life through hands-on scientific investigations in the garden with relevant food history enriching each lesson. Once students grow and harvest seasonal produce, they work collaboratively in the kitchen to cook and share meals together. Our programs result in improved critical thinking and conflict resolution skills, increased attendance, and reduced behavioral referrals.
“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.”
-Cesar Chavez
Located in the historic Garfield neighborhood in downtown Phoenix, Garfield’s Garden on the Corner is open to students and neighborhood residents to become empowered with essential and culturally appropriate skills of self-sufficiency to transform their current behaviors to healthier, life-long habits.
The garden is a great resource providing the school and community opportunities to learn life skills which include growing and harvesting food, as well as learning to work together to create and share meals.
The “Food and Fitness Challenge” is a campaign run by student sustainability officers which challenges students to engage in healthy habits. Students compete with different schools by posting, liking and sharing on social media about their involvement in healthy behaviors. They share their favorite healthy foods, exercises and stress relievers. The final competition results in funding to the winning school for use on healthy habits of their choice.
Our mentorship program allows students to engage their leadership skills to teach other students about growing, harvesting and cooking healthy meals.
The Mollen Foundation promotes a shared use model for schools and communities to have safe, accessible areas to gather, plant, and play. Shared-use refers to school campuses that open their facilities for community use after the school day ends.
Joining us on a community day? Our community programs are open to residents living and working in the neighborhood. Community days increase access and affordability to fresh, nutrient-dense food through meaningful learning experiences. The communities increased knowledge and practical understanding of healthy food allows them to make improved choices which will impact their overall health and the sustainability of a healthy food system.
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members."
-Coretta Scott King
The community seed bank offers over 200 varieties of desert adapted vegetable, fruit, herb and flower seeds. Join us on a community day at Garfield’s Garden on the Corner to select seeds for your garden or share seeds for the community to enjoy. Visit our social media for updated days and hours.
Dr. Art Mollen’s Fitness Path is avalible to everyone in the community to walk, run, and bike. Located on the path next to the canal by the Arizona Biltmore Circle from 32nd street to 24th street, it’s open every day and is the perfect place to get some fresh air and exercise.
The Mollen Foundation’s offers a variety of knowledgeable resources to teachers, school administrators, and community members alike! From site visits to professional development opportunities, we offer it all. If you’re interested in integrating our curriculum into your school, select from one of the development classes we offer below.
Sign up to learn the ins and outs of our approach to gain administrative support for the Garfield’s Garden on the Corner program. We will share best practices and key insights to building partnerships for farm to school programs. In small breakout groups, we will walk you through next step actions based on your needs and encourage other participants to share their own strategies and best practices. This will be a working meeting. Please bring a computer so you can collect data and begin to apply your next steps.
August 30th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $250 per person
Limit: 10 people
September 13th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $250 per person
Limit: 10 people
September 27th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $250 per person
Limit: 10 people
You will be hands-on and experience some of our favorite lessons. There will be two garden and two kitchen activities. You can expect to touch, see, smell, taste, and wonder about flower anatomy, worm compost, lettuce tacos, and greens over grains. We will explain how our foundational pillars are integrated into the curriculum, where and how we align academically, and what equipment is essential for starting and managing a garden and kitchen.
October 11th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $100 per person
Limit: 30 people
October 13th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $100 per person
Limit: 30 people
Join us to explore how school meal pattern transformation happens. This session will present the historical context to the current school meal. Then, we’ll discuss what it takes transform a kitchen to prepare scratch cooked meals, add student approved menu items, and integrate local produce into the cafeteria. We will also tour the newly renovated cafeteria.
October 14th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $250 per person
Limit: 10 people
This session will first talk about how to find, write, and submit winning garden and kitchen grants. Then, we will dive into how to compile a strong proposal and build upon the success of previous awards. We will also discuss other avenues of funding and strategies to pitch mutually beneficial partnership opportunities. This is a working meeting. Bring your computer so you can assemble or fine tune your narrative.
November 17th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $250 per person
Limit: 10 people
December 1st, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $250 per person
Limit: 10 people
December 8th, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Cost: $250 per person
Limit: 10 people