Local Programs Contribute to Community 

The Heller Family Foundation helps create, develop and support local programs that contribute to the vibrant health and wellbeing of the individual, the community and the environment. It is the goal of the Heller Family Foundation that these programs become self-sustaining through community support, sponsoring organizations, and change in public policy.

Cultivating healthy habits that last a lifetime
The L.I.F.E. Garden Program at Lopez Island Schools provides a tool for classroom learning in subjects as diverse as science and math to literacy in grades K-12, supports a healthier school community by growing nutritious, organic produce to serve in the cafeteria, and plants the seeds of health, nutrition and sustainability in our children through outdoor education in the school gardens and a nearby farm.

Nourishing community through shared meals
Inspired by the L.I.F.E. program, Evening Meals at School expands the notion of providing healthy alternatives for our children by offering healthy, organic communal meals to the community at large, while enhancing community interaction and supporting sustainable, local agriculture.

Empowering personal fitness and environmental awareness
The Vita Parcours Lopez Island Fitness and Ecology (L.I.F.E.) Trail, located on the 33-acre school campus, provides free, public access for individuals of all fitness levels with 9 exercise stations and a nature walk that meanders through meadow and deciduous woodlands, creating awareness for many species of birds, native flora and an endangered species of butterfly.

Demonstrating principles of sustainability through farm education
S&S Homestead Farm owners and educators Henning Sehmsdorf and Elizabeth Simpson started Lopez School's farm-to-school program on their nearby biodynamic demonstration farm and continue to teach food, farm and sustainability classes to secondary students. The Heller Family Foundation supports S&S Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Homestead Farm by helping to promote its educational opportunities such as apprenticeships, internships, workshops, and farm stays.