Oakland Unified to get new garden beds and outdoor classrooms as part of White House initiative

Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, Calif., is remodeling six of its schoolyards to include new garden beds, outdoor classrooms and more as part of the White House’s Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities.

The district partnered with nonprofit Eat.Learn.Play on the renovations, which will also include sport courts, new playgrounds, murals and reading areas. 

The updates are part of the White House’s Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities, which calls on organizations and communities to come together to find ways to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030. 

President Biden has made ending childhood hunger a priority during his time in office. The White House has previously advocated for the expansion of universal free meals at school and aims to provide free meals to 9 million more students by 2032 as part of its National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.