First Lady Michelle Obama at Harvest of White House Kitchen Garden...1 of 4 >
Oct. 14, 2014 -- First Lady Michelle Obama, joined by students from Arizona, California and Ohio, and Washington, DC, participated in the annual fall harvest of the White House Kitchen Garden.  Miguel Licea, age 10, a student at Willow Cove Elementary School in Pittsburg, CA; Cora Norris, age 10, a student at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington, DC; and Sawyer Allison-Begay, age 9, a student at The STAR School in Flagstaff, AZ helped Mrs. Obama with the harvest. Other students worked in small groups around the garden as well.  According to White House guidance, "These schools were selected because they are participating in farm to school programs that incorporate fresh, local food into their school meals, and they teach students about healthy eating through school gardens and nutrition education."  The Obama team started with peanut plants:
Mrs. Obama has made health, healthy eating, and well being a signature issue through her Let's Move! initiative.  She planted the garden on the South Lawn in 2009 with help from Sam Kass, a long-time advisor who is now executive director of Let's Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy (gray shirt in several photos above).  In 2012 she authored a book American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America.
(Notice the papaya tree in the foreground).
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