Region III
Columbus, Ohio - We have some great plans for PAR this season. We are starting a community Farm Market here at the Conservatory with donation bins for the farmers and community gardeners to leave produce not sold at the market. We look to increase our donation of produce from our Demonstration Garden and on-site community gardens. I promote PAR heavily to our 60+ gardens out in the neighborhoods and to several youth groups doing community service. We have started a couple of gardens directly on food pantry sites, so that the produce is as fresh as possible for the recipients. I will continue to try to establish more gardens at food pantry and soup kitchen sites this season.
We have started a column in our local newspaper, in the Sunday home and garden section called 'Community Garden of the Week' to run every week, March through October. - Bill Dawson, Franklin Park Conservatory
Anderson, Ind. - Our committee had a booth with the city's Earth Day celebration on April 30 and we will have a booth with the Master Gardener's plant sale on May 14. We love to distribute the brochures and small row markers to people, especially the Master Gardeners, as they are very excited about PAR. Our garden project has a name: Community Harvest of Anderson. We have two pieces of land, one a large park in town (Shepherd Park), and the other with our local Boys and Girls Club. We are working on more specific names for each of these two gardens. -Jenny Gates
Gates Mills, Ohio - I am a second grade teacher at Gilmour Academy. I received a grant last fall to put in a school garden. We are finished with the planning stages for our garden and will be ordering seeds and plants soon. My goal in writing the grant was two-fold. I wanted the children at Gilmour Academy to experience the joys of gardening, but I also wanted to have the produce from the garden donated to the Plant A Row For the Hungry. So often in schools, students lose sight of how fortunate they are so my plan is to provide a service learning component. The role of service learning at Gilmour Academy is to encourage social responsibility, to involve students in a productive service, and help the community to see our students in a positive way.
Involvement in the Plant A Row for the Hungry service learning project will benefit Gilmour students in many ways. This project will provide our students with opportunities to connect our social studies curriculum to real life issues and community concerns. Participating in this type of service learning project will help our students develop a positive self-esteem and will help them feel valued. At Gilmour Academy, we feel that if young children have a chance to act on their humanitarian ideals, they become responsible, caring citizens with strong community attachments. - Sandy White
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Indianapolis, Ind. - Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, GWA Region III Regional Director, shown in the PAR exhibit at the Ind. Flower & Patio Show in March 2005. The exhibit was part of the Marion County Extension and Master Gardeners booth. (Photo by Ginny Roberts of the Marion Cty Ext. and the PAR coordinator.)
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Region V
Northwestern Illinois counties had successful PAR kickoffs in the last month. A new chapter in Stephenson County, an IL Extension Service Master Gardeners project, signed up more than 150 people at the Joys of Gardening workshop on February 26 at Highland College in Freeport. And, they received pledges from several farmers at the Lady Landowners Conference in early March.
Winnebago County PAR gave out free garden starter kits at two garden shows in the Rockford, IL, area in March and April. More than 200 kits were given to gardeners who pledged to contribute at least 20 percent of their harvest to PAR. Television and radio coverage was extensive at the last show on April 9, and hundreds more people came by the Forest Hills Home & Garden Show booth to get PAR collection schedule sheets so they could donate excess vegetables this summer.
"We had terrific participation from the community," said Shirley Thompson, PAR chairman. "The awareness level about Plant A Row is high thanks to the radio and television stations. Our thanks go out to the Scotts Company, Botanical Interests, Johnny's Selected Seeds and Midwest Gardening for supplying us with materials for the garden kits." -Doreen Howard, Rockford, IL
| The Winnebago County PAR gave out over 200 garden starter kits to gardeners who signed a pledge to donate at least 20 percent of their harvest to PAR. Kits included vegetable seeds, fertilizer, PAR row markers, vegetable growing instructions and a copy Midwest Gardening magazine. |
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Wichita, Kansas - The "Communities Harvesting Hope" theme is awesome. We are excited to get going again. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful program that enhances the quality of life in our community. - Kae Bowles
Des Moines, Iowa - I have about 12 participants so far and hope more will join. I've tied it into a weekly class at church on vegetable gardening. Our church supplies an evening meal once a month to homeless and less fortunate people, and part of our “plant a row” produce donation will go there. When we aren't doing the “Supper Club” thing, we will donate part of our crop to a local Methodist affiliated charity in Des Moines called Bidwell-Riverside. They feed and clothe needy people. - Jim Waltrip
Ypsilanti, Mich. - We're planning our 2005 PAR campaign here in Washtenaw County, and I'm working to have the volunteer PAR committee really run the ship this year. Last year we topped 1,600 lbs, and this year we're hoping to go much higher! One caveat, however, is that while we're going to increase quantity, we may increase in the areas of herbs and salad greens (because the soup kitchen specifically wants those things to use in its homeless meals to make them healthier). - Amanda Marie Edmonds
Crystal Lake, Ill. - In April, the Master Gardeners of the Univ. of Ill. Ext. and the McHenry County College had their Garden Fest. As usual, I am hoarse at the end of the day after explaining about PAR, handing out brochures, and row markers. I had my window boxes planted with row of vegetables and two large pots filled with Burpee's Gourmet Lettuce and cucumbers.
We distributed the PAR brochures at my church, which is considered a Mega Church and at Garden Fest. I have discovered something that I think you could incorporate into PAR. Today at Garden Fest, I spoke with gardeners who are into perennials and flowers, but not as many vegetable gardeners. Our two largest supermarkets here have on a regular basis, have a "buy one, get one free" promotions. When my husband brought home a 10 pound bag of potatoes plus the free one, I asked him what am I going to do with 20 lbs. of potatoes. His answer, "take it to the pantry." Today, as I spoke with people who said, "I don't do vegetables," I told them about the buy one, get one free program. A light bulb went off and I can't tell you how many people responded to this idea. A young, single woman and then the empty nesters all realized that they could take advantage of the sale and then donate the items to the pantry. Many responded that they hated to miss out on "the sale." Now if we could get the food stores to make a drop off point at the stores, wouldn't that be great?
Two weeks ago I volunteered at the Crystal Lake Food Pantry and was so disheartened when we could only give one onion per family. They had a supply of potatoes but the onions were sparse and I can't imagine trying to cook for a family with one onion. In the past, when we had a supply of onions, we were allowed to give one onion per each family member. Again, today I relayed this story to the Garden Fest folks hoping to impress on them the value of a mere onion.
Listed below is a link to our web page at my church: Buy One/Give One, Free! A great way to donate is to purchase items that are "Buy One, Get One Free" at your grocery store. Buy one item for you or your family and give the free item to the Care Center/Food Pantry!
Ways to get involved:
o Grow your own produce for donation to the Willow Creek Community Center and Food Pantry
o Help with Willow's Plant-A-Row Garden: garden prep, planting, maintenance, harvesting
o Transport harvest from drop-off locations at Willow Creek to the Care Ctr. on Hassell Rd. Serve one time or on a team
o Watch the Weekly or the Food Pantry website for more info.
o Call Cheryl at 224.512.1872 for details
The actual web page address is www.willowcreek.org and the put food pantry into the search engine. -Agnes Burkus
Region VI
Portland, Ore. - The edible display garden "Plant A Row. Share the Bounty," at the Yard, Garden and Patio Show in Portland impressed thousands of gardeners with winning charm and an important message. Judges chose the garden, designed by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and implemented under the leadership of Garden Chair Nancy Junge, for an award that could have gone to eight other engaging gardens. The result of hard work and the contributions of many, the garden celebrated the beauty of edible plants, the strength of community and the generosity of gardeners.
It is impossible to detail the layers of contributions needed to implement the project. The talents, passions and support of many, including plant and seed growers, business owners, the Oregon Assn. of Nurseries, local horticulture students, Master Gardeners, Garden Writers Association and local garden media, assured a successful project. Our efforts will help our neighbors and strengthen our communities, especially as plants start growing and delicious, nutritious fruits, veggies and flowers wind up on plates that need to be fuller.
Congratulations to all involved in sharing the message of PAR. - Elizabeth Petersen
Spokane, Wash. - Spokane is back on board for the year. I like the theme very much. I just had a meeting about PAR with our big regional Second Harvest folks. They are even more excited than last year. I have a couple of strong helpers which should let us get our message out. We've had a couple of companies want to make it a community project for their employees' volunteer hours. As a side note because of my work with PAR I was asked to take over managing the community garden system for the next two growing seasons. -Pat Munts
Sacramento, Calif. - Bill Maynard was a finalist in the 3rd Annual Volvo for Life Awards for growing gardens to beautify his community and feed low-income residents. Bill was flown to New York City' Times Square Studios to receive his honor. Bill is now promoting Plant A Row to the local gardeners in Sacramento. He will spread the word about PAR in May at the NUSA conference on community gardening.
Civil engineer Maynard has been a long-time community gardening activist. In 2004, he helped design, plan and plant a food-producing landscape initiative within an existing low-income housing project. The initiative introduced 80 citrus and fruit trees, as well as various herbs, into the existing project landscaping. The project's success is igniting interest from other low-income housing projects around Sacramento.
In addition, Maynard volunteers for the Sacramento City Unified School District and Grant High School, giving high school students hands-on experiences in designing and creating school gardens. He helps create school gardens for “garden-based learning,” as Maynard says virtually all school subjects can be taught in the garden. He also helps organize farmer's market experiences for elementary school children, educating them about healthy eating habits and introducing them to a variety of fresh produce. - Bill Maynard
Novato, Calif. - The spirit of giving is nothing new. It's a personal quality that has been permanently etched in the back of our minds and reinforced in part by a Christmas classic, where an ill-tempered, close-fisted, old moneybag learns the lesson of giving the hard way. That same message of giving is selflessly promoted on a daily basis by the “The Happy Gardener,” GWA Garden Globe Award winner Bob Tanem. Dismayed at seeing fallen apples in orchards going to waste while nearby soup kitchens went lacking for fresh fruit and vegetables, Bob, an organic gardener from way back, author of several books, lively radio personality and successful owner of Tanem's Garden Centers, knew he had to help.
Upon retirement from commercial gardening in the year 2000, Bob immediately volunteered to supervise an organic vegetable garden at the New Beginnings Center in Novato, Calif. This center, an offshoot of Homeward Bound, a new, private social program, feeds and houses up to 90 homeless residents while at the same time training them for future gainful employment. With donations from local businesses, Bob and his crew of local volunteers and New Beginnings residents, set out to bring to life a 5,000 sq. ft. organic vegetable and herb garden on land that once was a local parking lot. Obviously, it was not an easy task!
First they brought the soil back to life and built a fence as protection against deer and wild turkey. Then they laid out the garden in three-foot segments (three-foot soil, three-foot path) and installed drip irrigation. An exuberant believer of the Plant A Row for the Hungry program, Bob felt that the residents of New Beginnings could make a difference in the community. He knew they not only could provide for themselves, but also assist others. “The availability of fresh produce at the center is already a good reason for celebration,” says Bob, “but the concept of the homeless feeding the homeless is a very exciting idea.”
True to Bob's plan, the production so exceeded the needs of the organization, the Center was able to turn over an “excess” to the Marin County Food Bank that very first year. Not surprisingly, at the end of that year (2001) Bob and his “crew” won the Mantis National Community Gardens Award, one of only 12 recipients nationally. And every year since then, they have been donating over 400 pounds of food each year to the local food banks.
Bob chuckles while speaking fondly of the residents. He's had humorous encounters (“You can grow vegetables?”) as well as frustrating ones (“The work in the garden is way too hard.”). He has also confronted sadness in the form of a resident who understood the need for hard work, but was felled by ill health. Ironically, even with his phenomenal success in terms of growing food, Bob has had only one “success” story (and 27 disappointments) in training residents for future employment, and self-sufficiency, in the green industry. But it's that one success that keeps him actively involved, and ever so hopeful, for future achievements.
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Bob Tanem (center) works with children of staff members who helped lay out the beds. |
Bob is inspired by the stream of volunteers that show up to work in the garden and frustrated by the ongoing battle with roof rats that seem to live solely for the purpose of feasting on the Center's crop. Yet despite it all Bob knows that if he can get just one individual off welfare, to be a productive member of society with an opportunity to enjoy life, then it's been worth all the effort.
Bob's message, broadcast every Sunday on his radio program, is simply this: “If you feel comfortable in eating that fruit or vegetable, and you have it in abundance, then share it with the homeless.” It's a message practiced daily by the Center residents.
Thanks to Bob Tanem's extraordinary efforts, the residents at the New Beginnings Center are the only homeless in the nation with a healthful bounty on their table as well as a successful Plant A Row for the Hungry garden program. It just goes to show - the power of ONE caring individual is limitless! -Betty Earls (published in GWA Quill & Trowel newsletter, April 2005)
Region VII
Kodiak, Alaska - Marion Owen announced the release of two of her most popular flower prints, "You Can Do It" and "Poppy Envy". Twenty percent of the sales from the photo prints will go to the Garden Writers Association Plant A Row for the Hungry program.
Owen's photography work has appeared in many national magazines. When customers began asking for posters and reprints of her popular floral images, she thought of helping Plant A Row.
The Plant A Row spirit is echoed in Owen's print "You Can Do It," with three hardy purple crocus blossoms pushing through a snow bank. By contrast, the lush blue and red hues of "Poppy Envy" are a joyous reflection of the rare Himalayan blue poppy and its brighter Oriental cousins. "Most of the planet has poppy envy," Owen says with satisfaction; the blue poppies, difficult to grow in much of the world, thrive in Owen's hometown of Kodiak, Alaska.
Owen's floral art prints are signed and ready for framing, at 8”x10”. Cost is $20 each, plus shipping. They are available online at www.plantea.com or by calling toll-free 800.253.6331.
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