student gardens support food banks : CMI Peru

Lacey resident E.J. Hardebeck normally spends the summer on vacation, reading or lazing about.

But this summer, he and 10 other Komachin Middle School students are volunteering to tend 18 vegetable beds they're planting for low-income families.

"We have this garden, and we're not using it very much," he said. "There's nothing planted in here but weeds, so it was just a waste. There are people who need what we have."

The students aren't alone this planting season.

Farmers, backyard gardeners and groups across the county have begun planting seeds and tilling land in a unified effort to keep the Thurston County Food Bank's shelves stocked. Farm land that would normally lie fallow and surplus vegetables that would otherwise go to waste have found a new purpose.

The food bank had a record 58,055 client visits last year, said Robert Coit, executive director at the food bank. The number has increased 30 percent a month during the past seven months, in part because higher gasoline prices have forced people to funnel more of their paychecks into fueling their cars to drive to work. At the same time, the food bank has opened satellite sites at two large low-income apartment complexes.

The food bank gets donated produce from growers, but donations ebb in the cold months. So Coit uses cash donations and reserves to buy produce.

In February, Garden-Raised Bounty began pulling local growers together. Some, like GRuB and The Kiwanis Club, had grown for the food bank before. Others were newcomers. Fourteen groups or individual growers are now on board, with the combined goal of growing 30,000 pounds of food this year, said Blue Peetz, GRuB coordinator. The Gleaners Coalition, which dispatches volunteers to help farms harvest excess food, is also a partner.

Planting has begun at GRuB's greenhouse on Elliot Avenue and at The Kiwanis Club's half-acre farm near Mud Bay Road. The Kiwanis Club is the food bank's single largest donor, delivering 15,000 pounds of produce last year. They hope to match or surpass that amount this year, he said.

"It's a fairly productive small patch," said Don Leaf of The Kiwanis Club. "We've been producing fresh produce for the food bank for several years. We try to harvest when things are ripe and not overripe, and try to deliver it immediately."

In Rochester, the Helsing Junction Farm has set aside two acres for the food bank where they've planted carrots, beets, fennel and chard, said Susan Ujcic, co-owner. The Gleaners and H.E.A.R.T. Alternative High School students will help harvest.

The food bank also will benefit from the farm's community-supported agriculture program. Under CSA, members pay monthly for a full or half share and, in return, get weekly produce and flowers, often getting more food than the cost of their share. The farm is matching every $1 that CSA members donate, and the money is used to provide shares to food bank clients.

The Gleaners are organizing a giving garden, where they'll grow herbs and vegetables, at the Olympia Community Gardens and Bentley Farms, said Barry Cannon, who heads the group. The Gleaners will organize work parties to run the garden, its volunteers will keep any harvest they need and the rest will be donated to the food bank and other area emergency food and meal programs.

In addition, the Gleaners will launch a food preparation display starting May 24, where they'll prepare dishes at the food bank using the vegetables and herbs clients receive. They'll serve samples and hand out recipe kits, especially for vegetables people might not be familiar with, like kohlrabi, which is a cabbage that resembles a turnip.

"You give it to somebody and it's a weird-looking thing and people might not know what to do with it," Cannon said. "It's also nutritional teaching. Greens can be cooked so much they turn brown and limp. We'll teach them how to hold the nutrition in the vegetables."

Kiwanis Club member Don Leaf tills the soil Thursday morning as he and other members get ready for planting on their half-acre garden on 11th Avenue.

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HOW TO HELP
=============

locate your LOCAL Food Banks which you can help.
http://omni.cc.purdue.edu/~hobaugh/safefood/links.html#foodbank
http://www.secondharvest.org/get_help
http://www.thurstoncountyfoodbank.org

Grow A Row for your local Food Bank
http://www.cnh.bc.ca/foodsecurity/growarow.htm

Seattle P-Patch program for helping Food Banks
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch
http://www.seattletilth.org

Garden-Raised Bounty (GRUB)
http://www.goodgrub.org/youth/main.html
grub@goodgrub.org

Garden-Raised Bounty seeks donated seeds for food bank growers and low-income families who are planting vegetable gardens through its kitchen garden project.

The Gleaners Coalition
http://www.gleanerscoalition.org
renee@gleanerscoalition.org

The Gleaners Coalition needs volunteers to harvest and move food from the farms to the food bank. They are also raising funds for garden tools and seeking a donated biodiesel truck that runs for delivering food.

Anyone with a backyard garden can plant extra and contact the Gleaners Coalition for help harvesting or delivering the produce.

Organic Gardening for Disabled People
http://www.leftfootorganics.org
http://htinstitute.org/htlinks.htm

School Gardens
http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/homepage.html
http://www.plants-for-people.org/eng/health/Plant_boost.htm
http://www.livingnutrition.com
http://www.journeytoforever.org/edu.html#garden
http://www.permacultureinternational.org/pceduforum/permacultureinschools.htm
http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com/air.htm
http://www.plants-for-people.org/eng

Organic Gardening Technologies for teachers and students
and Gardening Therapy
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display/12155/index.php
http://beirut.indymedia.org/ar/2006/01/3660.shtml

eco recycling: saving energy & water INTELLIGENTLY
http://www.chapelhill.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/20597.php
http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2006/04/49977.php

recycling Used Cooking Oil into BIODIESEL for Cars
http://www.plantdrive.com
book: From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank
author: Joshua Tickell http://www.joshuatickell.com/books_films.htm
http://www.biodieselwarehouse.com

Ed Tech for Teachers
http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswire.php?story_id=25014
http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/45215/index.php
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/10494.php

SOLAR TOURS of SOLAR HOMES and SOLAR BUILDINGS
and links to local chapter NGO's and their events
------------------
http://www.ases.org/tour
http://www.homepower.com/events/index.cfm
http://www.solarliving.org
http://www.solarhouseday.com/index01.shtml
http://www.homepower.com/links/non_profit.cfm
http://www.solarhouseday.com
http://www.ases.org
tour@ases.org

free JOURNAL about SOLAR ENERGY, Sustainable Technologies:
http://www.homepower.com
http://www.epsea.org/wtr.html
http://www.sses.ch

Healthy Schools - academic Success
http://www.calhealthyschools.org
http://www.foodrevolution.org/askjohn/43.htm
http://www.watoxics.org/redirect/HS_OVER.aspx?fromMenu=0&pos=3&name=HS_OVER
http://www.bibleplus.org/health/ms_lupus.htm
http://www.stevitastevia.com/product/product.html
http://www.healthmasters.com
http://www.wellbeingjournal.com
http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/49909.php

Organic Gardening tech
http://www.acresusa.com
http://www.acresusa.com/other/freesample.htm
http://www.moscowfoodcoop.com/books/wilson.html
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/01/102980.php
http://organicconsumer.org

volunteering to work on organic farms
http://www.wwoof.org

Victory Gardens International Movement to feed the poor
http://www.victorygardens.net

Community Gardens for helping Food Banks
http://www.communitygarden.org.au/about/benefits.html
http://www.communitygarden.org/publications.php
http://www.greenguerillas.org
http://www.communitygarden.org/links.php
http://www.greenthumbnyc.org/links.html

Inner City Gardens to feed the poor, the disabled and the sick
http://www.yesmagazine.com/article.asp?ID=576

Food Securtiy
http://www.foodsecurity.org/links.html

roof top gardens for helping Food Banks
http://www.greengridroofs.com/advantages/index.htm
http://www.optigruen.de

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
http://www.cuco.org.uk/index.php?page=3
http://www.localharvest.org/csa
http://www.localharvest.org/csa.jsp

Organic Allotment Gardening to feed the poor
http://www.hhdra.org.uk

fighting hunger: http://www.carbon.org http://www.trees.co.za http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk http://www.moringatrees.org http://www.permacultureinternational.org http://echonet.org/core.htm http://www.seedinternational.com.au http://www.permaculture.org.uk http://www.csa-india.org http://neemfoundation.org http://www.neemresource.com http://www.treesforlife.org http://www.growbiointensive.org

eradicating global hunger
http://prod.india.indymedia.org/en/2005/09/210864.shtml
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/01/102980.php
http://thunderbay.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/23244.php

BUILD INTO the FUTURE
Indestructible and energy efficient buildings and homes
(Hurricane proof, Tornado proof, Earthquake proof and Tidal Wave proof)
------------------
http://www.monolithicdome.com http://www.solargenix.com http://www.heliodyne.com http://www.powerlight.com http://www.rpc.com.au http://www.kalwall.com http://www.solatube.com http://www.solarwall.com http://www.demarcoenergy.com http://www.advgeothermal.co.uk http://www.greengridroofs.com http://www.grasscrete.com http://www.rainharvesting.co.uk http://www.ecological-engineering.com http://www.oasisdesign.net http://www.waterless.co.nz http://www.wolvertonenvironmental.com http://www.sloanled.com http://www.cansolair.com http://www.myecospace.com http://www.thermotechs.com http://www.insuladd.com http://www.vestas.com http://www.activepower.com

GERMAN Sustainable Technology
intelligent design
------------------
translate German => english: http://babelfish.altavista.com
http://www.bomin-solar.de http://www.solarinfo.de http://www.inn-plan.de http://www.optigruen.de http://www.sses.ch http://www.orange-energy.de http://www.firstsolar.com http://www.thyssen-solartec.com http://www.wind-energie.de http://www.solarfoerderung.de http://www.biocar.de http://www.iwr.de http://www.evt-scooter.de http://www.intersolar.de http://www.sunversy.de http://www.solarwaterworld.de http://www.aet.de http://www.berger-biotechnik.de http://www.biodieselverband.de http://www.btec-rosenheim.de/pageID_1975573.html http://www.campa-biodiesel.de http://www.cleanenergy.de http://www.wind-tschechien.de http://www.windtest-nrw.de http://www.windkraftservice.de http://www.eg-solar.de http://www.windkontor-saar.de http://www.elsbett.com http://www.energiekontor.de http://www.fmso.de http://www.rerorust.de http://www.velomobile.de http://www.boxer99.de http://www.juwi.de http://www.zinco.de http://www.sunoven.de http://www.mindquest.de/Zonnewater http://www.fuhrlaender.de http://www.windkrafttechnik.de http://www.inventusgmbh.de http://www.moratec.de
http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/38087/index.php

Mercedez-Benz's SMART CAR
Why be Stupid?
------------------
http://www.uk-vans.co.uk/new/smart_car.html
http://www.autofieldguide.com/columns/will/0404euro.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3660685.stm
http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/38087/index.php
http://www.betterproductdesign.net/npi/products/smartcar.htm
http://www.smartofnewcastle.co.uk
http://www.smartofbristol.co.uk
http://www.smartofperth.co.uk
http://www.smartofnorwich.co.uk

Saving Energy, SOLAR Energy, WIND Energy, OCEAN Energy
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/112665.php
http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2006/01/47520.php
http://www.hoanw.org

PEAK OIL and Permaculture
http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/50102.php
http://thunderbay.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/23436.php
http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswire.php?story_id=25013
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/10493.php

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

(Note: you can save this web page to your hard drive. Then you can open the saved file on your hard drive and click on the links to access the web sites)

Please email this web page to your friends and to people who are concerned about our future and our Grandchildren’s future. Thank you.