Raymond Helps The Spring Go Green

Raymond, the official mascot of the Tampa Bay Rays, joined The Spring of Tampa Bay to celebrate the “honorary first pick” of the greenhouse and garden purchased with a grant from the Rays Baseball Foundation.

The Spring of Tampa Bay serves victims of domestic violence, including more than 500 children per year who come with their families to seek temporary shelter. With 102 beds, it is one of the largest domestic violence shelters in Florida and the first domestic violence agency in the United States to have an accredited on-site school for resident children. 

Students who attend the on-site school welcomed Raymond and his team to The Spring to thank the Rays Baseball Foundation for its funding of the program, “Planting Seeds of Hope and Renewal,” which encourages the students to learn healthy eating habits.

The program integrates science, math and reading into nutrition and cooking lessons that emphasize healthy meals. During their short time at The Spring, the kids will learn about the cycle of growing their own fruits and vegetables, from planting the seed and helping it grow to harvesting the vegetables and fruits and preparing them for their meals.

Currently the garden, dubbed “The Dugout,” includes a variety of tomatoes, peppers and onions along with peas, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, lettuce, eggplant, potatoes, carrots, corn, okra and a variety of herbs.

The greenhouse, nicknamed “The Trop,” has an assortment of flowers and will be used to grow seedlings in the coming months.

“We are so thankful to the Rays Baseball Foundation for helping us teach our kids about nutrition and healthy meals,” said Mindy Murphy, CEO of The Spring. “Through this program, we are finding yet another way to implement our mission of promoting change in lives, families and communities.” 

While domestic violence crosses all socioeconomic and geographical boundaries, many of the participants in the shelter struggle to find quality, affordable food on their limited budgets.

In 2009, community volunteers installed vegetable boxes for the students to begin their gardening projects. Seeing a need to expand the program, The Spring applied to the Rays Community Foundation in 2012 for funding for phase 2, which included a full garden and a year-round greenhouse.

Founded in 1977, The Spring of Tampa Bay has provided sanctuary and services to more than 60,000 abused adults and their children. The mission of The Spring is to prevent domestic violence, protect victims and promote change in lives, families and communities. Programs and services include a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, urban and rural outreach and prevention programs, community education, education and vocationally based transitional housing, children’s programs and an offender treatment program for adults and teenagers.

For more information on The Spring, visit www.TheSpring.org or call 813-247-SAFE.

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