Independence Gardens

Independence Gardens This outdoor learning lab will provide the students at Independence Elementary an environment they can incorporate in their daily curriculum.


Independence Gardens' mission is to ensure that EVERY child has access to fresh food through immersive and impactful nutrition programs in schools and communities. The A+ LISD Science Curriculum, currently in development by the IES teachers, will be engaging and technologically driven.

WHY ARE CHEFS IN THIS FIGHT? 👨‍🍳🥊Because chefs understand something powerful:How food is prepared can change how we expe...
08/31/2026

WHY ARE CHEFS IN THIS FIGHT? 👨‍🍳🥊
Because chefs understand something powerful:
How food is prepared can change how we experience it.
Meet Chef RJ Yoakum, representing Team Chonnie and returning to Food Fight™ as our defending Chef Champion. 🏆
But he's defending more than a title.
At Food Fight, our chefs are challenged to take fresh ingredients, school-meal-inspired nutrition parameters, a mystery box and a $5 challenge and create something that passes the toughest test:
Will a child actually want to eat it?
Chefs bring creativity to a conversation that too often focuses only on what's wrong.
We're asking: What's possible? What if chefs, school nutrition professionals, farmers, educators, businesses, parents and children worked together? What could school lunch become?
Chef RJ is stepping back into the arena to help us find out.
🥊 Team Chonnie is ready.
And Team Vince...
We hope you're stretching. 👀😂
The competition is fun.
The mission is . Link in BIO and every donation for North Texas Giving Day will get a ticket for Food Fight!

WE DON'T TELL KIDS TO EAT THEIR VEGETABLES. 👩‍🍳We hand them an apron.Because telling a child something is healthy isn't ...
08/30/2026

WE DON'T TELL KIDS TO EAT THEIR VEGETABLES. 👩‍🍳
We hand them an apron.
Because telling a child something is healthy isn't nearly as powerful as letting them experience it.
That's the idea behind Come and EAT IT™.
Students roll up their sleeves.
They touch ingredients.
They smell herbs.
They chop, mix and create.
They taste something new.
They laugh.
They cook together.
And somewhere in the middle of all that fun, something important happens:
Fresh food becomes less intimidating.
Instead of:
❌ “You should eat this.”
We create:
🥕 “What's this?”
🍅 “Can I cut that?”
🥬 “Did we grow this?”
👩‍🍳 “Can I make this at home?”
❤️ “Can I have more?”
That's why your North Texas Giving Day gift isn't simply buying ingredients.
You're creating an experience. Just $500 can help bring a Come and EAT IT™ experience to an elementary school.
And it starts with $5.
Be a BRAT.
Boost Real Access for Thriving Communities.

KIDS JUST TOLD US SOMETHING. ARE WE LISTENING? 🍎“If we ate this at school, I would eat lunch there every day.”A student ...
08/30/2026

KIDS JUST TOLD US SOMETHING. ARE WE LISTENING? 🍎
“If we ate this at school, I would eat lunch there every day.”
A student judge said that at Food Fight.
Read it again.
Because behind that one sentence is a much bigger conversation about children, food and access.
What happens when kids experience fresh ingredients prepared in ways that are exciting, flavorful and approachable?
They get curious.
They taste.
They ask questions.
They discover foods they didn't know they liked.
And sometimes they ask us the question adults should be asking too:
“Why don't we have food like this at school?”
Food Fight™ gives children a seat at the table—not figuratively, but literally.
Our 3rd–5th grade student judges will once again decide whether our chefs can create a nutritious $5 school lunch they actually want to eat.
We're listening.
And we're working to turn what we learn into action.
🎯 $30,000. 10 schools. 1,000+ children.
Will you help us listen louder? North Texas Giving Day

08/28/2026

How do you possibly distill thousands of volunteer moments into 14 seconds?

Since 2013, thousands of volunteers have given their time—digging, planting, mentoring, cooking, building, serving, and sometimes simply stopping long enough to listen to the joy of a student discovering something new.

Fourteen seconds could never capture all the hands that have helped make this work possible.

But maybe it’s enough.

Enough to see the joy in their eyes.
Enough to remember why we do this.
Enough to know that every hour given matters.

To every volunteer who has shown up for our students and our mission: thank you.

You are part of every seed planted, every lesson learned, every “I did it!” and every smile.

14 seconds. Thousands of moments. One incredible community. 💚 North Texas Giving Day

08/26/2026

Kids shouldn’t need a science degree to understand what’s in their school lunch. 😳

We’re ready for a - are you? Link in our bio

North Texas Giving Day RJ Yoakum HipHop Chef Vince Sims

BRATS DON'T SETTLE. 😏 “Why don't we have food like this at school?” A student asked us that at Food Fight. Good question...
08/25/2026

BRATS DON'T SETTLE. 😏

“Why don't we have food like this at school?” A student asked us that at Food Fight. Good question.

BRATs don't just accept “that's the way it's always been.” We ask what's possible.

Then we help build it.
🌱 HydroTowers
👩‍🍳 Cooking experiences
🥕 Fresh-food exposure
🧠 Nutrition education

$5 gets you into the fight.

What does a HydroTower actually do? It's not just growing lettuce.A HydroTower turns a school hallway, classroom or caf...
08/25/2026

What does a HydroTower actually do? It's not just growing lettuce.

A HydroTower turns a school hallway, classroom or cafeteria into a living laboratory.

A student plants a seed.

They watch roots form. They measure growth. They learn how plants use water and nutrients. They harvest something they helped grow. And then comes our favorite part... They taste it.

Suddenly, science isn't just something in a textbook. Sustainability isn't just a vocabulary word.

And fresh food isn't something someone is telling them they should eat. It's theirs. They grew it.

Through The Beanstalk Project™, Independence Gardens uses HydroTowers to connect fresh food with science, nutrition, sustainability, responsibility and curiosity.

Our North Texas Giving Day goal is to bring this experience - and more - to 10 elementary schools and 1,000+ children.

🌱 Your $5 joins hundreds of other $5 gifts to help us grow the next school.
Give $5. Find 5 friends. Grow something bigger. Link in bio.

One week down. Our goal isn't simply $30,000.It's what $30,000 becomes: 10 schools. 1,000+ children. 10 opportunities to...
08/24/2026

One week down. Our goal isn't simply $30,000.
It's what $30,000 becomes: 10 schools. 1,000+ children.
10 opportunities to change a child's relationship with food.
Will you help us get there? Link in bio (or scan the QR code!)
https://givebutter.com/igfoodfight2026

“I didn't know chicken looked like this.” A child actually said this at Food Fight.Fresh-food access isn't only about hu...
08/24/2026

“I didn't know chicken looked like this.” A child actually said this at Food Fight.
Fresh-food access isn't only about hunger. It's also about exposure.
Children can't choose foods they've never had the opportunity to know. That's why we do this.

Imagine being 9 years old and harvesting lettuce you grew at school. That's not just food. That's science.Responsibility...
08/21/2026

Imagine being 9 years old and harvesting lettuce you grew at school. That's not just food. That's science.
Responsibility. Curiosity. Nutrition. Sustainability.
That's The Beanstalk Project™. Your $5 joins hundreds of other gifts to bring experiences like this to more children. North Texas Giving Day

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Dallas, TX

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