Please pass on the following link to anyone you know who has a business in the metro Atlanta area. It gives the details about a terrific, affordable, high-visibility sponsorship opportunity for Team Food Pantry in 2011. www.sustainablepattie.com
FYI, as of today, the Dunwoody Community Garden has donated or inspired the donation of 973 pounds of local, organic produce, for a food value of $5,478. We originally hopes the food pantry clients would come to the garden, but that hasn’t been the reality. We therefore brought the garden to them with the addition of the St. Pat’s Garden, which is 6 weeks old today and has already yielded 35 heads of lettuce and other bags of greens, some of which was harvested by the food pantry clients’ children themselves. If you haven’t seen it yet, it is worth a quick stop. It’s in the parking lot to the left (and just behind) the church on N. Peachtree Road directly across from Brook Run.
We have big plans for 2011 and invite you to join Team Food Pantry in the capacity that works for your life. We now have:
- Team Food Pantry—Community Garden (Sally Malone is heading this team)
- Team Food Pantry—Greenhouse (we’ll be growing at full capacity—8 beds—by this weekend—Hunger doesn’t take a holiday so we will now have a year-round growing operation) (A team leader is still needed, although five of the beds have stewards already)
- Team Food Pantry—St. Pat’s (James Tola at St. Pat’s is heading this team)
In the new year, we will expand to include:
- Team Food Pantry—JCC (they are letting us grow in their garden during the spring and fall—they only use the garden for summer camp)
- Team Food Pantry—Adopt-a-Spot (will be in a low-income part of Dunwoody)
- Team Food Pantry—School Outreach
And more!
We are set to reach 50% of our Ton for Hunger goal this year. Next year, we intend to leave that goal in the dust. We have the potential to be a national model of social sustainability. What’s more, those of us who are involved have improved our own personal gardens a good deal due to the effective and efficient growing techniques we are learning. Join us! We also have a lot of fun, especially serving as an incubator for others. We have just been asked to host a group from South DeKalb who are possibly starting an urban farm, and to serve as mentors for them.
And, finally, a huge thank you to St. Pat’s for the bike rack they have donated to the community garden. You will find it on the inside of the garden to the left. Enjoy riding your bike and having it standing up securely an safely while you garden! Who knows? Maybe a fleet of Food Bikes are in our future—to deliver to homebound people in need? Just a thought.
Learning as we grow,
Pattie
Dunwoody Community Garden at Brook Run 