BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- One community program is helping at-risk kids grow more than just plants.

While many kids are spending the summer indoors, others prefer working in the sweltering heat.

Chris Dalton, of the Bakersfield Police Department, said, “We've had kids begging to come out here and work the garden and pull weeds and pick all the fruit and vegetables that we've grown."

Twenty at-risk kids and two BPD officers from the police athletics league tend to this garden at the PAL Center in east Bakersfield every week.

Dalton said, "They're off the streets not hanging with bad kids because all the kids here are under strict supervision."

The garden is one of several eastside community gardens organized by the Keep Bakersfield Beautiful Program and Stop The Violence.

"Half of our kids didn't even know fruits and vegetables were grown from the ground. They thought your local grocery store was where you got your fruits and vegetables," Dalton said.

The kids are not only able to learn about agriculture but also life skills such as teamwork and work ethics.

And judging by the smiles on these faces... the garden also gives them a sense of pride.

Ricardo Baldovinos said, "It makes me feel happy and great (to watch my plants grow)."

Dalton said, "If we could change one or two of these kids’ lives, we've made a huge difference."