QUEENS, N.Y., Sept. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today executives from Key Food, Dole Packaged Foods and the Captain Planet Foundation joined Principal Raeven Askew and faculty members at PS 354 The Jermaine L. Green STEM Institute of Queens Elementary School to inaugurate a special Learning Garden for the school. Together, these three organizations joined forces to offer PS 354 students the opportunity to interact with the environment through a learning garden, while expanding their palates and learning about food origins.

PS 354 The Jermaine L. Green STEM Institute of Queens Elementary School won the Learning Garden by submitting an application to the "Learning Garden Grant" contest conducted at Key Foods in the fall of 2015. The contest offered elementary schools in the Key Food's service area the chance to win a Learning Garden installation for their school. 

"Here at Dole, we understand the importance of teaching children the benefits of incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet, whether they are enjoying fresh produce from their learning garden, or a healthy Dole snack," said Larry White, Vice President - Sales, Dole Packaged Foods. "By partnering with Captain Planet Foundation and Key Food, we are helping more students learn about and develop healthy habits."

"Anything can be taught in the context of the garden, and hands-on learning supports student understanding of natural systems, food origins, and healthy eating," explained Leesa Carter, Executive Director of Captain Planet Foundation. "Captain Planet Foundation is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards, and ensuring they are armed with an understanding of the natural world in which they live. We are thrilled to be working with Key Foods and Dole to provide PS 354 with a CPF Learning Garden!"

"We are excited to bring this Learning Garden to PS 354 The Jermaine L. Green STEM Institute of Queens Elementary School," said Michele Gissi, Marketing & PR Manager, Key Food. "At Key Food, we strive to give back to the communities that we are so lucky to be part of and we are grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to improving the quality of the life for children through education around nutrition and healthy living."

Added Principal Askew Raeven of PS 354 The Jermaine L. Green STEM Institute of Queens School, "The Learning Garden gives children an opportunity to apply classroom lessons to real life. It gives them access to opportunities they don't usually get, especially in our community."

About PS 354 The Jermaine L. Green STEM Institute of Queens Elementary School

P.S. 354 The Jermaine L. Green STEM Institute of Queens is located in the heart of South Jamaica.  We are a STEM-themed magnet school, serving students from Pre-K through fifth grade and offering a curriculum that brings together Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in ways that make learning fun and engaging for all students. We know that every student at P.S. 354 will not choose a career in a STEM related field, but we also understand that in order to be successful in these fields or any other profession, there are specific habits of mind with a strong emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving that need to be emphasized.

Our classrooms, labs, and offices are focused on collaborative learning that encourage students to ask questions, investigate different approaches to solving problems and explore content so they have a better understanding of what they are learning each day. Teachers are required to think beyond the textbooks in order to make the learning relevant and meaningful to the students they serve.

About Dole Packaged Foods

Dole Packaged Foods LLC, a subsidiary of Dole International Holdings, is a leader in growing, sourcing, distributing and marketing fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks throughout the world.  Dole markets a full line of innovative packaged, frozen and dried fruit. The company focuses on four pillars of sustainability in all of its operations: water management, carbon footprint, soil conservation and packaging. For more information, please visit www.dolesunshine.com or www.doleintlcsr.com.

About Key Food Stores Co-Operative, Inc.

Founded in Brooklyn in 1937, Key Food Stores Co-Operative Inc. includes over 235 primarily member-owned and corporate grocery stores with $2.3 billion in annual sales. In addition to Key Food, these stores operate under various other banners including: Food Universe, The Food Emporium, SuperFresh, Key Food Marketplace, Food Dynasty, Urban Market, and Gala Fresh in all five boroughs, Long Island, upstate New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Please visit www.keyfood.com for more information. Key Food. The Difference is Key.

About Captain Planet Foundation (CPF)

Based on the critically-acclaimed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers, CPF was co-founded in 1991 by media mogul Ted Turner and producer Barbara Pyle.  Since then, the Captain Planet Foundation has played a critical role in helping to ensure that the next generation of business leaders and policy makers are environmentally literate citizens who leverage technology and information to manage and protect the air, land, and water upon which all life depends.

CPF is a grant-making foundation that has funded over 2,000 hands-on environmental education projects with schools and non-profits that serve children in all 50 U.S. states and in 23 countries internationally. More than 1.2 million children have directly participated in and benefited from these educational projects.  In addition to its Small Grants Program, the Captain Planet Foundation also operates the following programs: Project Learning Garden, the Leadership Center, SAGES, Planeteer Clubs, and a number of other science education initiatives that exploit the intersections between technology, innovation, the environment and personal action.  For more information: www.captainplanetfdn.org.

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SOURCE Dole Packaged Foods LLC

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