Green Team at work with school garden

Kathryn+Robideaux+and+Niel+Niere%2C+seniors%2C+help+to+harvest+the+last+of+the+seasons+tomatoes+from+the+school+garden.++This+produce+is+donated+to+Falcon+Packs.

Kristen Thompkins

Kathryn Robideaux and Niel Niere, seniors, help to harvest the last of the season’s tomatoes from the school garden. This produce is donated to Falcon Packs.

Aysiah Loving, Assistant Feature Editor

The Olathe South Green Team has been harvesting for hungry students from the School Garden.

Green Team is a club that created the school garden on the outside of the school. Originally the club was just a way for students to come together and have fun while gardening. Now the club has additional plans.

After pairing up with the Falcon Pack organization, the small team has been working hard to produce organic fruits and vegetables for students who do not have access to healthy foods.

“As a group, we just thought about the families at South who could not afford good, healthy, organic foods. So we decided to team up with Falcon Pack,” Jeff Witters, Green Team sponsor, said.

Green Team has hopes to continue working with Falcon Pack and provide for families in need. The club has planted and harvested plenty of peppers, tomatoes and more for the organization.

“We usually harvested 10-12 pounds of vegetables every week,” Wittters said.

Aside from harvesting for Falcon Pack, Green Team is preparing for the winter. Before it gets cold, the club will put a sheet of plastic covering the crops in the green house to keep in warmth, and they are trying to harvest as much as they can so the vegetables outside the green house don’t go to waste.

The club has many plans for the school year and is always open to acquiring new helping hands.

“One of our future goals is to be able to get younger students involved because a lot of our older kids have plenty of fun, and it would be nice to include some underclassmen,” Witters said.

Many of the members enjoy being a part of Green Team.

“I love that we grow food that go to those in need. I have also made so many great friends on Green Team,” Mackenzie Smith, junior, said.