Grants at Work: Students Grow Lettuce to Feed Rescued Manatees

This feelgood story has it all: dedicated teachers, eager young minds, and rescued manatees who need their help. Thanks to a $25,000 grant from our Foundation, the human heroes of this story are growing hydroponic lettuce in an after-school program to help support rescued manatees at nearby SeaWorld Orlando.

Eco Club is currently operating in three Central Florida schools. Students learn the importance of conservation, sustainability, and stewardship through hands-on activities such as growing vegetables, cooking healthy food, and composting. The brainchild of two teachers at Millennia Gardens Elementary School, John Martinez and Dawn Chehab, Eco Club serves more than 100 students. Funding from our grant allowed Eco Club to expand to Sunshine Elementary in Orlando this year, where the program is led by Tagen Wright and Dr. Laura Pimente.

SeaWorld Orlando has long been committed to marine conservation and rescue. Our Foundation has partnered with them before to support Florida’s coral reef through the Florida Coral Rescue Center, the largest land-based coral rescue facility of its kind. Their manatee rescue program houses dozens of manatees, an animal that eats nearly 10% of its body weight in vegetation every day. 

With their legion of young conservationists, Eco Club has been growing lettuce for rescued manatees for ten years in their hydroponic lettuce garden. The $25,000 grant helped update the 60-tower growing system, provide stipends for teachers, and launch a student-led education program about the dangers of manatee boat strikes and the importance of manatee habitat conservation. 

At a January harvest event, Eco Club members at Sunshine Elementary proudly delivered their sustainably grown lettuce to SeaWorld Orlando staff, marking the culmination of months of hard work and learning. 

Grants like these are the epitome of our Foundation’s mission: helping to conserve Florida’s iconic wildlife while supporting programs that create the next generation of conservationists. You can help support rescued manatees too! By donating to our Marine Mammal Fund, you are directly supporting rescue and rehabilitation, as well as natural habitat restoration for Florida’s manatees. Donate today.