Meet Josie and Mac

Josie (L) and Mac (R)  

Josie has been volunteering in the kitchen at Meadowbank School for the past five years. She loves helping children learn how to prepare fresh food for themselves. 

Josie says “As a former café owner, I love sharing what I know with children. It’s so satisfying to see their sense of pride and independence in the kitchen, and to watch this grow through the years. By the time the kids get to Year 5, they take over the space as their own.”

“I love volunteering and I look forward to being in the kitchen with the children each week. It makes me so happy! I also love helping them learn what to do with unusual and prolific vegetables such as choko. We recently made Choko Pickle with mashed potato, and it was delicious.”  

Josie’s fellow volunteer Mac moved next door to Meadowbank School four and a half years ago. She’s been a garden volunteer ever since. 

Mac says “As a new neighbour, I would often be in my garden and see the children in their garden. I thought volunteering would be a great opportunity to connect with my local community.”   

“It’s wonderful to see the sheer excitement as the children get to know and love their garden.  Learning to appreciate everything that lives and grows in the garden is so important. That includes the slugs and the snails! The kids love getting stuck in and they don’t mind getting their hands dirty. The changes we see in their learning and resilience between Years 4 and 5 are spectacular.”  

Mac says there are highlights every week in the garden. “The school’s choko vine is fruiting at the moment and it’s famous at our school. Every year, our students tally up the fruit and we all look forward to the results. The vine had more than 1,000 fruit harvested last year – it’s such a great source of produce AND learning!” 

“To see the kids having fun and learning about pests and about growing, harvesting, and composting is such a joy. I love being involved and I wish every school in the country could have Garden to Table.”

Ngā mihi nui ki a kōrua – Thank you Josie and Mac. 

Currently, Garden to Table is in 278 schools and kura across Aotearoa New Zealand. Over the next few years, we want to double the number of schools and students who grow, harvest, prepare, and share fresh and nutritious kai. Ultimately, we want Garden to Table to reach every child!

Donate now to help grow and sustain Garden to Table in your local community.