While walking the aisles of a grocery store, many young people may be unaware where their food comes from.

What they are missing is the hours of work necessary to grow the vegetables and fruit, tend to the animals for meat and dairy products and what went into the transport of all of those goods to stores.

Some children are lucky enough to at least see a garden, which can be a first step in learning about how food reaches the table.

There’s a project in the works that can do just that, and provide food to the community.

A community garden is planned to operate under the Picayune Memorial High School’s Veterans and Citizens Supporting Students program, the same program that puts on the annual veterans program and provides services to students in need through the Necessities Closet.

The group has already secured a lot within the city limits of Picayune on Jarrell Street.

Now all the group needs are knowledgeable people willing to teach the children how to start and maintain a garden.

Through the program, the students will gain more than just the knowledge of growing food, but possibly a mentor.

That is the hope of one of the group’s active members, Allison Wheat.

This project sounds like a great idea on several levels.

These children will learn the value of a hard day’s work, how well-tended gardens produce nutritious food and learn from others in the community with whom they would otherwise never had come into contact.

These members of the community will have much more to teach the students than proper gardening techniques.

The Picayune Item commends the Picayune School District for getting behind such a proactive group to ensure their students will receive the best education possible and the city of Picayune for donating the lot.