MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — July 28, 2026 — Hundreds of Berkeley County students will receive hands-on garden kits through a new community initiative designed to connect youth with food education, healthy living, and environmental stewardship - and to support STEM-focused initiatives and partnerships at the Martinsburg Roundhouse and For the Kids by George Children’s Museum. The initiative is a West Virginia expansion of a broader national campaign that is bringing together nationally recognized organizations to help transform classrooms, community centers, and homes into living laboratories for STEM learning, sustainability, and community resilience. Partners and collaborators in this initiative include Growums, which creates kid-friendly kits that make learning to garden simple and exciting; Little Green Thumb Foundation, which helps educate youth on agriculture and the origins of food; America The Beautiful Foundation's GROW program, which works to develop the next generation of stewards; The Sunflower Project, a nonprofit program of Unstoppable Future, which partners with communities, school and local nonprofits to plan and launch youth STEM/STEAM activations and programs; For The Kids by George Children’s Museum; Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority; and Martinsburg Roundhouse, a National Historic Landmark. Designed as a pilot, the Martinsburg activation is built to serve as a replicable model for integrating hands-on food education into community-based learning environments - and to support new STEM initiatives and collaborations between the Children’s Museum and the Martinsburg Roundhouse. Each Growums garden kit is designed to help students grow their own vegetables and herbs while building hands-on skills in science, sustainability, and healthy living. Students and families will also receive access to a digital learning platform with guided educational content, allowing the experience to extend beyond the classroom and community center into the home. A total of 500 kits are being distributed to school groups that visit the Children’s Museum and the Martinsburg Roundhouse, which is managed by the Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority, a public corporation authorized by Act of the West Virginia Legislature for preservation and revitalization of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops - with a mission to establish an experiential place in support of community engagement, culture, small business, history education and the arts in Eastern West Virginia. For Matt Umstead, board chair of the Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority, the initiative reflects the organization's commitment to engaging in education-focused partnerships that encourage hands-on learning and community connection to what is West Virginia’s 16th National Historic Landmark. "The Roundhouse has been transforming into a place where our community comes together, and this program gives Berkeley County kids something real to hold onto - the chance to grow their own food and discover where it comes from,” Umstead said. “We're proud to help launch this STEM initiative and bring this experience to local families." Community leaders say the initiative is about more than gardening. It is also designed to strengthen connections between education, wellness, food access, and long-term community resilience across Berkeley County. As a co-host and distribution partner, For the Kids, by George Children's Museum leadership says this pilot is a natural extension of its total-immersion approach to learning. "Hands-on discovery is at the heart of what we do at the George Children's Museum,” said Aubrey Ervin, board member at For the Kids, by George Children's Museum. “Partnering with the Martinsburg Roundhouse to put garden kits in the hands of Berkeley County students lets us extend that mission beyond our walls — kids aren't just learning about food and science, they're growing it themselves. We're thrilled to help bring this to our community." The program's educational model is rooted in hands-on, research-backed learning that engages students both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to introducing STEM and sustainability concepts tied to real-world food systems, the initiative aims to reinforce healthy eating habits, environmental awareness, and self-sufficiency. Organizers estimate each kit could generate approximately $180 in home-grown food value, creating a meaningful economic benefit for participating families. For Growums CEO Jim Zanotti, Martinsburg represents exactly the type of community the organization hopes to reach through the initiative. "When a child grows their own food, something shifts,” he said. “They eat differently, think differently, and see themselves differently. We're honored to bring that experience to Berkeley County students this summer.” The initiative is supported nationally by America The Beautiful Foundation and its GROW program (Gardens, Recreation, Outdoors & Wildlife), which is working to develop the next generation of environmental stewards through outdoor recreation, environmental education, community gardens, wildlife conservation, trails, parks, and youth leadership programs. It is also supported by Unstoppable Future Corporation's Sunflower Project, which supports program development, partnerships, strategic communications, and community engagement efforts tied to youth STEM initiatives. "Our GROW program exists to develop the next generation of environmental stewards, and there's no better way to do that than to put a garden in a child's hands,” said Dr. Emily Weeks, Founder and Executive Director of America The Beautiful Foundation. “The work happening in Martinsburg shows what's possible when national support meets passionate local partners. We're proud to partner on this project, and with Little Green Thumb Foundation, and proud to call projects like this a part of GROW.” The Little Green Thumb Foundation, which supports the educational and curriculum framework behind the initiative, says the partnership model is key to creating lasting impact. "This is about far more than gardening - it's about science, nutrition, confidence, and self-sufficiency,” said Bosh Bruening, Executive Director of Little Green Thumb Foundation. “By partnering with the Martinsburg Roundhouse, we're able to meet students where they are and extend that learning all the way into their homes.” More information, please contact Matt Umstead (Martinsburg Roundhouse, Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority, and For The Kids, by George Children’s Museum) at 304-676-9692; or Kelly Ann Collins (Growums, Little Green Thumb Foundation, America The Beautiful Foundation, Unstoppable Future) at 703-540-9144 or kac@unstoppablefuture.org.