Spotlighting “Where Good Grows” with the Bob Evans Garden Project

Bob Evans is a place “Where Good Grows” — from serving good food to celebrating good people and doing good in our communities. Our team recently did some “good” Down on the Farm™ in our hometown with the new Bob Evans Garden Project, which is focused on teaching kids about gardening and educating them on the importance of agriculture.

Anyone who’s been to the Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio will recognize the signature white Bob Evans barn. In front of the barn is a plot of land that up until now, wasn’t being utilized. Our farm manager, Chris Williams, who has worked on the Bob Evans Farm for 30 years, and her team came up with the idea to plant a community garden to use as an educational space and resource to give back to the community.

Over the past several months, Chris and her team have been busy planning and preparing for the Bob Evans Garden Project. The new garden will be dedicated to growing fresh produce like tomatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli and more, which are similar to the ingredients used for signature dishes like our farm-fresh salads and new Pick 2 Combos. The crops grown from the Bob Evans Garden Project will be donated to feed those in need.

To assist with planting the seedlings for the garden, Chris enlisted the help of local second-, third-, and fourth-grade students from Vinton Elementary on May 20, 2021.

These enthusiastic students got their hands dirty and learned about planting, gardening, and farming firsthand throughout the afternoon. Chris also taught them about sustainable gardening practices, such as using a compost pile for fertilizer and rain barrels to gather water to nourish the plants. Later in the summer and into early fall, the kids will return to the garden and the food will be harvested with their help and donated to a local food pantry.

There are so many benefits of agricultural education for kids, we encourage you to talk about where food comes from and involve kids in gardening at-home. As our founder, Bob Evans, knew and advocated for, agricultural education is vital in establishing the next generation of America’s farming community and ensuring food security for our country. The Bob Evans Farm is for the community and we are looking forward to sharing our garden with the community as well—from local schools to other organizations—who want to learn about where their food comes from and how to garden. We encourage you to stop by the farm this summer and check it out for yourself!

Share your garden photos with us online by tagging @bobevans on Facebook or @bobevansfarms on Instagram or Twitter.