ISHPEMING — The Ishpeming Lions spent Sunday building 12 raised garden beds at Birchview Elementary School in Ishpeming.

Members of the District 10 Lions of the Upper Peninsula worked on the project.

They built several raised garden beds for each grade in the elementary school, including kindergarten and special education.

The beds were framed, leveled and painted and also included soil and worm compost provided by the Partridge Creek Farms compost facility in Ishpeming.

The project also included animal protection fencing and a gate for the garden.

The project was followed by the initiation of the Farm to School program at Birchview.

The project started Monday with a full-day event that had every student in the school working in the newly built garden beds by adding vermicompost to the beds and painting their handprints onto the beds, which the students will plant in the spring.

After the gardens are planted next spring, Partridge Creek Farm, along with summer camp volunteers, will maintain the plants over the summer months until the next batch of students can tend to them.

The Farm to School program involves learning about the soil and how it provides food.

The program also includes information about healthy eating habits during the winter months.

Attending the Sunday event were Birchview Principal Matt Bryce, Gary Perala of the Negaunee Lions and Jenny Ware of Rapid River, a former international director of Lions Clubs International.

Randy Crouch can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His email address is rcrouch@miningjournal.net.