WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed in July, features massive cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which includes educational programs at schools in West Michigan.
At West Elementary School, part of Wyoming Public Schools, the gardens are part of a program that serves around 2,600 students in West Michigan. There, the nonprofit H.O.P.E. Gardens — which stands for Helping Other People Eat — teaches first through fourth graders how to start and maintain gardens, offering an education in nutrition, biology and chemistry along the way.
“It’s food, but it’s more than food,” said Julie Brunson, executive director and co-founder of H.O.P.E. Gardens. “Also food security, food sovereignty, where they can be like, ‘I grew this, I did this,’ you know. And they’re proud of it.”
Brunson said what started as an after-school program was able to take off with help from SNAP-Ed through the Michigan Fitness Foundation. The funding made it possible for the outdoor education to be implemented into the school’s STEM curriculum…