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<\/a>Beyond the nutritional value of growing and gardening, Stewart says it also helps to combat mental-health issues exacerbated by the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think even more so than last year, believe it or not, I\u2019m really seeing that people are suffering from mental-health issues\u2026 just isolation and the challenge through a pandemic,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd this can just be a way to connect and have a small win. Maybe you make one salad for yourself and you think, \u2018I want to keep doing this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Stewart says that growing food can be challenging, but it gets people out of their own head and gets them doing something.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd hopefully engaging with a community that maybe you didn\u2019t before,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
The seedlings in the garden kits come from FED, donations from local residents, and the City of Victoria.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got a big program that they do called Get Growing, Victoria! and they [grew] tens of thousands of seedlings,\u201d says Stewart, \u201cso we\u2019ve got kind of a combination of our own and what we got from the City.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stewart says that while it\u2019s unfortunate that healthy food is expensive, it does reflect what the prices should be.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal farmers\u2014all farmers\u2014should be able to make a living wage, so I think the prices of food are actually reflective of what they should be,\u201d says Stewart. \u201cIt\u2019s just unfortunate that our wages, our cost of living\u2014there\u2019s such a disparity there.\u201d<\/p>\n
If students are keen to grow but have limited space, pooling together space with a friend is a good option; if that doesn\u2019t work, she says, get in touch with FED.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnect with us through our website and we might be able to point them in a direction where they can find space, or connect with other like-minded people that could help them,\u201d says Stewart.<\/p>\n
Stewart hopes that people supplementing by growing at home could be the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re really into it, you can save your own seeds, and then you really don\u2019t need to spend that much money,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not that expensive to do, if you really want to put the effort into it\u2014which I know we\u2019re all busy; easier said than done\u2014but there\u2019s definitely cost-effective ways of growing food at home to supplement your diet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students who want to be considered for a garden kit can fill out an application here<\/a>. According to the site, those who received a kit last year are not eligible this year due to high demand.<\/p>\n