Give Up the Green for the DN Garden

This campaign has concluded, but if you would like to still make a gift to support the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, please click here.

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The Dietetics and Nutrition Garden provides students and faculty the opportunity to educate patients and the community on the importance of vegetables and herbs to promote optimal health! In addition to the educational and research opportunity it provides, the garden offers a nice gathering space for the University of Kansas Medical Center community.

While our first year with the garden was a success, we are looking to grow, and not just plants! Last year, we planted in May and were producing vegetables and herbs until December. We had four active faculty members and a small student group assisting in the care and management of the area. Currently, our garden provides 13 raised beds loaded with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, basil, thyme, rosemary and much more.

As we aim to upgrade our garden, we are focusing on three specific improvements:

• Add more raised beds. In order to do so, we will need increased access to tools and gardening equipment, as well as dirt and seeds for the upcoming season.

• Add benches and picnic tables. Including a place where people could sit, or even enjoy their lunch, would create a more welcoming environment for faculty, staff, students and community members.

• Add informational signage. The addition of signage would increase awareness about the educational and research-related impact of our garden and let visitors to the garden know about ways in which they can participate in the project.

Please consider a gift of any size to help these improvements become a reality for our garden so we can increase garden-based nutrition and health education in our community!

The mission of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at the University of Kansas Medical Center is to educate future dietitians and conduct profound research in areas such as pregnancy and maternal health, cancer, obesity, nutrition literacy and Alzheimer’s.