Isaiah & Grace – Pennsylvania

Katie’s Krops gardeners don’t always plant in their backyards or schoolyards. Some, like 10-year-old Isaiah Enterline and his 7-year-old sister Grace, make the most of whatever space is available. For them, that space is at their church—Solomon’s United Church of Christ in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania—where they tend four 2’x8’ garden beds and are excited to add a fifth this season, thanks to a win in a contest we hold throughout the season for our Growers.

Church member Julie Emig first discovered Katie’s Krops about four years ago while helping launch a community garden at Solomon’s, which now includes over 20 plots maintained by local residents. Inspired by her son’s work with kids’ gardens in Chicago and a desire to involve youth at their own church, Julie found Katie’s Krops while researching youth-led gardening initiatives—and the rest is history.

Isaiah, the youth lead Grower, impressed us with his gardening skills, earning him the title of 2024 Rookie Gardener of the Year. Alongside their mom, Kathleen, who serves as their primary adult supporter, Isaiah and Grace—joined by other young volunteers—donated over 300 pounds of fresh produce in 2024. Most of the food came from their church garden, with extra contributions from their home garden and neighboring community plots. Their harvest includes beets, radishes, cucumbers, peas, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, and cabbage. All of it goes to local food pantries, including The Gleaning Project, which runs a daily produce stand sharing surplus crops from farmers and gardeners. This year, the young gardeners are also contributing to their church’s blessing box, which now includes a refrigerator—perfect for storing freshly picked radishes and strawberries.

Their gardening journey hasn’t been without challenges: drought, persistent weeds, hungry bunnies, and whiteflies that damaged their brassicas. While a row cover helped protect the plants, strong winds sent it flying. Thankfully, their dad found it in a nearby field—although the stakes were lost. This time, they’re using heavy rocks to keep it grounded.

In addition to the vegetables, they also have a butterfly garden with many colorful pollinators, encouraging beneficial insects to help keep the destructiveones away. They work in the garden weekly with other children, helping regularly. Isaiah is happy to do so because he enjoys giving back to thecommunity and appreciates gardening. Grace also likes giving flowers.

The church continues to create opportunities for other children to get involved. During their Weekend of Wonders on the second Saturday of each month, six or seven children join in to help with whatever the garden needs—from planting to weeding.

Katie’s Krops is proud to support Isaiah, Grace, and all the young gardeners at Solomon’s United Church of Christ as they grow food, give back, and blossom alongside their gardens.

Check out the recent Rent. article we were featured in

Check out the recent Rent. article we were featured in:

Creating a balcony herb garden is a rewarding and practical way to add color and plant life to your outdoor space, as well as enjoy fresh herbs year-round.
In this Rent. guide, experts share their best tips and tricks to create the perfect balcony herb garden, whether you own a home in Annapolis, or rent an idyllic San Diego apartment. Gather your supplies and get to gardening with these stellar herb garden ideas!

Landrum Middle School ~ Florida

Jarred Shaw has a passion for two things—gardening and his students—and he’s found a way to beautifully blend the two. When we featured his work at River City Science Academy in 2023 (River City Science Academy ~ Florida – Welcome to Katie’s Krops!), we shared how he brought their school garden to life with support from Katie’s Krops and other generous organizations.

Now, Jarred has taken on a new role closer to home at Landrum Middle School in Ponte Vedra, Florida, where he works as a literacy coach. Although the garden at Landrum was already thriving when he arrived, Jarred didn’t miss a beat. From his office window, he now enjoys watching the garden in action—cared for primarily by students in the special education program who plant, weed, harvest, and maintain nine raised beds brimming with kale, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, squash, peppers, collards, snap peas, beans, okra, strawberries, and a wide variety of herbs like thyme, parsley, and oregano.

Even more exciting, the school is expanding its orchard, which already includes two mature avocado trees. Soon, students hope to be harvesting cherries, bananas, limes, lemons, papaya, raspberries, mangoes, and grapefruit.

The garden is more than just a growing space—it’s an outdoor classroom. The students, who have various intellectual and developmental disabilities, are guided by dedicated paraprofessionals and teachers who weave gardening into science and math lessons. The work gets them moving, engaged, and learning in meaningful ways.

Each week, members of the school’s Best Buddies chapter (part of Best Buddies International) join in. Every Wednesday, they share lunch, play games, and garden alongside the students. Their commitment was recently recognized with a visit from the national Best Buddies team, who brought lunch from Chick-fil-A and fun activities to celebrate the program.

The impact of the garden extends beyond the special education program. STEM students recently engineered a hydroponic system using buckets and pipes to grow tomatoes. Their innovation will help contribute to the roughly 200 pounds of food harvested annually—most of which goes home with students in care packages. Jarred hopes that one day soon, they’ll produce enough to donate fresh food to a local pantry as well.

In addition to supporting students and teachers in the garden, Jarred stays busy behind the scenes. He manages garden supply purchases and writes persuasive grant applications. Thanks to his efforts, the school has received support from groups like the Garden Club of St. Augustine and will soon receive milkweed seedlings from the Florida Wildlife Association for their butterfly garden.

Last year alone, Jarred secured over $15,000 in grants for his previous school—and we have every confidence he’ll continue to grow big things at Landrum.

Joseph – Massachusetts

Ten-year-old Joseph of Sharon, Massachusetts, may be entering his second year as a Katie’s Krops gardener in 2025, but he’s far from a beginner. His gardening journey began in 2020 when he started a home garden using seeds saved from grocery store produce.

In 2021, he expanded his knowledge by volunteering at The Farm at Moose Hill, a CSA farm located on the grounds of the Audubon Society’s Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. There, he gained hands-on experience in organic farming and picked up valuable gardening tips—including the fact that while all parts of the pokeweed plant are toxic, the young shoots can be eaten if boiled multiple times.

Joseph, a homeschooled fifth grader, has a deep passion for gardening and enhances his knowledge by watching educational videos. His mother, Ellie, admits she doesn’t have much gardening experience herself but fully supports her son’s interests. She discovered Katie’s Krops while researching programs for young gardeners and has encouraged Joseph to track his harvest totals in a spreadsheet.

In 2024, Joseph cultivated four raised beds, growing a variety of crops, including tomatoes, green beans, purple beans, eggplant, spinach, and bok choy. His most successful crop was green beans, and he harvested about 10 pounds of fresh produce, which he donated to the Community Food Pantry at First Congregational Church in Sharon.

Looking ahead to 2025, Joseph hopes to expand his garden and increase his food production. He plans to add two more raised beds, experiment with an in-ground garden, and grow new crops such as zucchini while improving yields on crops that didn’t thrive last season. Additionally, he intends to start growing flowers to provide fresh bouquets for the food pantry. Since Sharon is in growing zone 6, Joseph begins his seeds indoors and transplants them outside in early May.

As with all our gardeners, we wish Joseph the best of luck in 2025 and commend his dedication to helping those in need through his passion for gardening.

1 Girl Revolution Podcast

On this week’s episode of The 1 Girl Revolution Podcast, we welcome Katie Stagliano, founder of Katie’s Krops—a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth to grow gardens and donate fresh produce to those in need, helping to fight hunger one garden at a time.

Katie’s story is one of kindness, action, and a commitment to making a difference. What started as a single cabbage seedling she grew in third grade has blossomed into a nationwide movement of young people growing fresh food and feeding their communities. Through Katie’s Krops, children and teens across the country are learning about the power of service, sustainability, and how small acts can lead to big change.

 

Watch The Podcast Here!

How One Cabbage Grew Into A Nationwide Effort To Fight Hunger

A 9-year-old, a 40-pound cabbage, and a dream.

That’s what sparked the creation of Katie’s Krops, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting hunger one garden at a time.

What started as a school project for then third-grader Katie Stagliano has since grown into a national movement, empowering young gardeners to feed their communities.

“This is an experience that truly changed my life forever,” Stagliano said.

 

Read More Here!

Coming Up on 15 Years of Serving Dinners

Over the past 15 years, we have hosted hundreds of Katie’s Krops Dinners. Looking back, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. At just 12 years old, I could never have imagined that a single cabbage would grow into an initiative that provides free, healthy meals to thousands in our community.

More than 14 years ago, a need presented itself in my community. Families and individuals facing hunger had lost access to hot, healthy, free meals when the only soup kitchen in our area was forced to close for financial reasons. I may have been only twelve, but I recognized that our local Katie’s Krops Gardens could be the solution.

What was that solution? Using the harvest from our gardens, we could create nutritious, hot meals for anyone in need in my hometown of Summerville, South Carolina. Up until that point, we had always donated our harvest to food pantries, soup kitchens, and directly to families in need, but we had never cooked with it ourselves. I approached the head of Food Services at my school, Mr. McNeill, and my 6th-grade science teacher, Cory Miller, and together we created a plan. We would craft a meal based on what we grew, purchasing what we couldn’t cultivate. Our garden volunteers would help us prepare the dinner. And just like that, the very first Katie’s Krops Dinner was born.

What started as a small effort has flourished into something truly special. Thanks to the unwavering support of our community, we have grown into a vital service, now preparing and sharing meals from the Fellowship Hall of Summerville Baptist. As we approach our 15th anniversary, I am deeply grateful for this journey and the incredible impact we have made together.

I don’t ever want to take for granted how blessed I am to have found my path at such an early age. None of this would have been possible without the support of my neighbors, friends, and even complete strangers—people who believed that a young girl could make a big impact. Their faith in me shaped this journey, and now I have the privilege of paying that belief forward to kids across the country, empowering them to create change in their communities.

Every meal we serve is made from scratch, with love and care. We don’t just open cans or reheat food—we create fresh, nutritious meals using produce grown in our very own Katie’s Krops gardens. The winter months bring challenges, especially after the recent winter storm, which has left us with limited fresh produce. Yet, our commitment never wavers. We remain dedicated to serving high-quality meals because we know how much they mean to those who receive them.

Today, we prepare an incredible 700 meals per dinner—a feat made possible only through the kindness and dedication of our volunteers and supporters. The Katie’s Krops Dinners are a testament to the power of community, compassion, and teamwork. Every meal we serve is more than just nourishment; it is a symbol of hope and generosity, a reminder of what we can achieve when we come together.

As we approach 15 years of dinner service, my heart is full of gratitude for every person who has played a part in this journey. Thank you for believing in a 12-year-old girl’s dream. Your support has made this possible, and I am forever thankful. I look forward to many more years of growing, serving, and spreading kindness—one meal at a time.

Olivier – South Carolina

When people think of gardens, most picture in-ground plots or raised beds. However, not everyone has that option—including seven-year-old Olivier Perez of North Charleston, South Carolina. He and his parents live in an apartment with a balcony, but after volunteering at the Katie’s Krops flagship garden in nearby Summerville and attending children’s classes there, he knew he wanted to be one of our gardeners and grow food at home to donate.

Fortunately, his parents were prepared for this. During the pandemic, they decided to become more self-sufficient and purchased three hydroponic tower gardens to grow some of their own food. Not only did this give them greater food security, but it also inspired four-year-old Olivier to eat more vegetables, especially cucumbers.

After losing her job right before the pandemic, Patrycja became a stay-at-home mom and now homeschools Olivier, teaching him how to grow and care for their gardens. He enjoys organizing and planting seeds—two of his favorite tasks—and takes part in harvesting and donating most of their produce to the Impact Center at Cathedral Church. Their donations supplement grocery store contributions and are distributed twice a week to those in need, along with items such as clothing and furniture.

With two towers on their balcony during the nearly year-round growing season and another one indoors under grow lights, Olivier is able to grow a wide variety of food, including cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, basil, collards, lettuce, bok choy, Swiss chard, and other greens. In addition to harvesting when the produce is mature, Olivier ensures there is enough water and mineral solution in the reservoir for when the automatic timer activates the pump to water and nourish the plants.

Tower gardens are not without challenges, though. They couldn’t prevent bugs from getting to the zucchini or protect the eggplant when it was planted too late and exposed to the cold. To help with pest control, they spray neem oil and other essential oils on the plants to prevent further infestations.

Katie’s Krops is thrilled to have Olivier as one of our young growers—and our first tower garden grower!

Beech Hill Elementary School – South Carolina

Thanks to a dedicated team of educators, students at Beech Hill Elementary School in Summerville, South Carolina, have a unique learning opportunity through a school garden supported by Katie’s Krops, which is also based in Summerville.

When the garden was first established five years ago, sustainability was a challenge, even with guidance and funding from the Clemson Extension School and Community Gardening Program. However, the school persevered and connected with Lisa Turocy, Katie’s Krops Master Gardener and Board Member for Katie’s Krops. She proposed a potential partnership, recognizing that the needs of the BHES garden aligned perfectly with Katie’s Krops’ mission. With financial support and expert advice tailored to the area, the garden is now thriving.

Students of all grade levels have the opportunity to work and learn in the two gardens. The lower school garden introduces younger students to garden etiquette and safety, while the upper school garden, located between the third and fifth-grade classrooms, sees the most activity from those grades. Teachers integrate the garden into various subjects, providing real-life learning experiences. Third and fifth graders, for example, research plant growth challenges during literacy lessons, measure planting depth and spacing in math, and study flower structures in science. The garden also serves as an incentive for students to complete assignments and maintain positive behavior while fostering responsibility and environmental stewardship.

All students learn the importance of “eating the rainbow” and how different vegetables contribute to their nutritional needs. The school’s food service provider, Sodexo, and Ms. Haugh have hosted food tastings for all age groups, allowing students to try produce they may have never tasted before.

The school has also held several in-house farmers’ markets, where staff—including custodians and cafeteria workers—can enjoy the high-quality produce grown by students. Any surplus harvest is donated to Hearts for Summerville, a local organization suggested by school receptionist Ms. Kemble, who is actively involved with the group. Hearts for Summerville provides food, children’s books, furniture, rent assistance, and other essential resources to those in need, and the fresh garden produce helps support their mission.

Beyond nutrition and academics, the garden fosters a sense of independence and ownership among students. When they are younger, teachers guide them through planting and care, but as they grow older, students take the lead, applying years of knowledge to manage the garden themselves.
Like many school gardens, Beech Hill faces the challenge of summer maintenance, as the break lasts from early June to mid-August. Last summer, five teachers took turns caring for the sweet potatoes, each covering two weeks. The hope is to recruit students and their families to help this year—perhaps inspiring the children to become garden teachers at home.

May Community Partner: Katie’s Krops

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — We know it’s important to eat our fruits and vegetables every day, but some people can’t afford fresh produce and don’t have access to healthy options.

That’s where our May Community Partner, Katie’s Krops, comes in. The non-profit is not only feeding the community, but also getting kids and teens interested in gardening.

Much like her garden, Katie Stagliano’s journey started with a seed.

“I was in the third grade,” Stagliano said. “I planted a tiny cabbage seedling and that tiny seedling grew to be a 40-pound cabbage. This 40-pound cabbage was the size of my 4-year-old brother.”