Philadelphia gardening students hold charity dinner

Students in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are set to host a charity dinner to raise money towards helping them continue their mission of growing and harvesting food from urban gardens.

The Eats and Beats 2009 event will take place at the Calvary Centre on May 9th from 17:30 local time.

Organised by attendees of the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiatives (AUNI) youth development programme, the dinner will feature a four-course family-style Moroccan meal.

It will be complemented with a showcase of student work, a silent auction, a raffle and traditional music by percussionist Gina Ferrera.

The students hope the dinner will help them continue spreading the word about eating and cooking in a health-conscious manner.

As trained AUNI interns, they work in high school gardens, a culinary setting or one of the two student-run seasonal farmers markets that feature produce grown in local educational establishments.

"The Eats and Beats 2009 benefit dinner will provide a platform for students to showcase their culinary and gardening skills while earning far-reaching recognition and monetary support," explained AUNI director Danny Gerber.

Texas Cable News recently reported a growing number of people are turning to growing their own produce to help fight the recession.