Across the country, more and more elementary schools are finding that planting a garden reaps the benefits of teaching community values, the importance of demonstrating responsibility, the significance of the caring for the environment, and the promotion of hands-on learning.

Floyd M. Stork Elementary School in Alta Loma, Calif., received a grant to install a garden for kindergarten through 6th grade students. Each grade level will have its own plot and be able to plant what they choose.

The school began requesting donations and volunteers. Vermeer Pacific — Fontana, seeing the importance of building the foundation for the garden, stepped up to volunteer equipment, as well as the equipment operator expertise of Colby Gergovich, service advisor. Gergovich’s daughter is a student of Stork Elementary School.

The store donated the use of an RT650, which was used to dig a river bottom, and a SC60TX, which was used to move 22 yds. of planting bed soil.

The garden is estimated to be completed late October, but many volunteers have spent countless hours on the project over the summer.

“I volunteered for about five weeks of full Saturdays and maybe two or three Sunday afternoons at the end of August. It was hard work, especially since the temperature was over 100 degrees most weekends, but the teachers are really excited to have something like this for students, so it makes it worth it,” said Colby.