At Gaia, social impact and environmental sustainability are our two fundamental tenets. We don’t believe in simply throwing money at things in the name of philanthropy; instead, we like to get personal. If that means we’ve got to get our hands dirty, then we get dirty! Under this philosophy we created our fledgling corporate sustainability initiative, Green Foods School Garden, at the local public school La Escuela Nueva California. In our first year, we laid the framework for a successful school garden that can operate in perpetuity. This involved various essential factors, such as building a relationship with the professors, getting permission from the school board, and figuring out how to involve the students in both a practical and educational manner. After successfully collaborating with the school staff, students, and other local businesses that helped with donations, we were able to benefit over 400 students who suffer from food insecurity by providing them with regular care packages of produce to take home to their families. In years to come, we hope to expand upon this program by adding improvements such as a compost area, a fully functional greenhouse, and a culinary element where the school’s cafeteria implements the garden’s produce into its own lunch offerings.