Our Beginning

Project Hope was started in 2018 when Logan Hill was working in the garden one day and saw some neighborhood kids playing close by.  He invited them into the garden and started asking questions about fruits and vegetables. What are these growing in the garden (greens)?  Where do tomatoes come from? One kid said…Krogers! This discussion planted an idea in my head…that most of our students don’t know where produce comes from but are also not knowledgeable of fresh vegetables.   Many of the students have limited knowledge of Science in their early academic careers and grow up not liking Science due to the lack of understanding what Science is all about. So this situation provided a great teaching opportunity.  We wanted the students to be able to understand STEM concepts and begin applying them in their pursuit of growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. The hope was that by using STEM concepts, the students would develop a love of science and math that would carry them throughout their educational careers. (3 prong approach)

An equally important component of Project Hope is teaching the students about financial literacy. At the beginning of the program the students take a field trip to a local bank and open a savings account. Each student is then given a monetary stipend each month and they are then required to deposit half of their stipend into their savings account at a local bank. The objective is to develop an educated respect for money and introduce healthy saving habits that will benefit them throughout their lifetime. 

There is also an intergenerational component. The students harvest their produce and then distribute it the senior citizens in Blount County. This provides an environment for social communication where the students are able to dialogue with the seniors and learn about their experiences.