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About Us
The Edible Schoolyard Marin County provides Laurel Dell Elementary students with a unique, hands-on learning experience that connects academics, food, and wellness. In the garden, which includes 16 raised beds, students cultivate the soil, plant seeds, and care for crops throughout the seasons while learning how healthy ecosystems support both people and the environment. This experiential learning continues in the mobile kitchen classroom, where students practice safe food preparation and create nutritious, delicious recipes using fresh ingredients. Through this seed-to-table approach, students engage their senses, build lifelong skills, and develop a meaningful connection to food, nature, and healthy habits.
What is an Edible Schoolyard
Edible education has a profound impact on classroom learning and academic achievement. When students actively participate in growing, preparing, and tasting food, they develop a stronger connection with learning, and understand the benefits of fresh, healthy food choices. Hands-on activities in the kitchen classroom make abstract concepts more tangible and memorable, improving comprehension and retention. And healthier students are better learners. Nutrition directly affects cognitive function and energy levels, leading to improved concentration, fewer absences and better academic performance.
Our Story
Melissa Grimm, whose family has a long and successful history of growing healthy foods for America’s tables, is paying forward her own legacy with the Edible Schoolyard Marin County. Her vision is to build an appreciation for fresh, healthy food choices, and how those choices create a pathway to lifelong health for young students, and by extension, their families and entire communities. A resident of Marin County, with young children, she and her husband Colin are passionate advocates for the physical, emotional and mental benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Edible Schoolyard Marin County builds on the nationally known Edible Schoolyard Kern County, founded by her mother, Barbara Grimm Marshall. Melissa recognizes that edible education programs can dramatically alter the upward trajectory of childhood obesity and diabetes, encourage lifelong healthy food choices, and increase academic achievement scores, particularly in underserved communities. With the success of her Laurel Dell Edible Education pilot project in San Rafael, Melissa’s goal is to engage with other elementary public schools in Marin County to promote healthy eating, hands-on learning opportunities and environmental stewardship, while setting the stage for student, family and community success.
Our Program
Edible Schoolyard Marin County is committed to growing healthy communities, one child at a time. We have a three-pronged approach to our mission:
