Northwest Elementary receives raised bed gardens from Lowe's

Northwest Elementary received a trio of raised bed gardens from Lowe’s as a part of the organization’s Heroes Project. Photo by Courtney Johnson / Special to Neuse News

Northwest Elementary School is getting a garden installed in order to further educate its students.

Lowe’s chose the school for its Heroes Project, a program implemented to assist organizations across the nation. According to its website, Lowe’s has participated in more than 1,300 projects and contributed more than $1.3 million in materials in its endeavors.

Northwest Principal Heather Walston said the school was happy to have Lowe’s providing the raised bed garden, which will give a visual aid and interaction for students. .

“Students don’t have the opportunity to see a lot of this in the city, so it’s great they’ll be able to learn about the transition of vegetables from farming to the table,” Walston said. “They’re all ecstatic about it.”

Northwest PTA Treasurer Stacey Wiggins said a simple conversation among friends helped put the wheels in motion.

“My friend Courtney Johnson runs a business called The Kitchen Garden with her husband and they create raised bed gardens,” Wiggins said. “We started talking a bit about getting some for Northwest and they were going to build them, but then she had a conversation with Lowe’s and now we’re getting three for the classrooms, along with a shed and tools.

“They’ll be used for the third grade class — part of their curriculum is about plants, so this will fit in seamlessly.”

Johnson said she planned on creating the gardens initially for Northwest before Lowe’s interceded.

“The PTA had approved money for a garden bed, as several teachers had an interest in gardening,” Johnson said. “I went to Lowe’s and had asked if they could cut a deal because it was a school project and (the employee) pitched the idea to the manager. That’s when we learned about the Heroes Project.

“(Lowe’s) took care of the entire cost, cleared the spot, made the beds, provided a shed and have even offered teachers seeds for the beds. I was blown away by the generosity and I love how they want to be involved in the local community. Sometimes, big companies can get a bad rap, but it means a lot that they want to help the children here at Northwest. I was very impressed.”