We hope that everyone had a safe and fun holiday. During this time of holiday festivities, Grow Food, Grow Hope worked with two Wilmington College Greek organizations: Sigma Zeta and Alpha Phi Kappa to begin the first ever Feed A Family Fund at Wilmington College.
We are amazed at the generosity of our Wilmington College Faculty and Staff, as well as community members who donated to the cause and made it possible for us to purchase food for 10 Christmas boxes for Clinton County families.
Children of Feed A Family recipients with their boxes.
Christmas essentials such as a ham, pumpkin pie ingredients, and fresh potatoes from the Clinton County Farmers' Market as well as supplies that can be used into the new year such as flour, sugar and salt were provided to the families for a total of over 30 pounds of food per family, delivered by Grow Food, Grow Hope's team of VISTA volunteers and Sigma Zeta fraternity members.
We would again like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who donated to the Feed A Family Fund, the Greeks who came to us to work collaboratively, and the entire Clinton County Community who has made it possible for us to increase fresh food access and alleviate poverty in the community.
Now that the New Year has commenced, we are excited to be able to offer even more in 2011! Garden Applications are now available for anyone who is interested in applying for a space in our Friends of Hope Community Garden on Wilmington College's campus or those who would like to apply for a Backyard Garden at their own home. Participants will have a garden bed and will be taught how to garden by mentors, many of whom are local Master Gardeners, and Grow Food, Grow Hope VISTAs with weekly meetings from May through August. The Community garden program is free for participants however, a $25 donation is asked for the Backyard Garden program, to offset the cost of lumber and supplies (limited sponsorships are available). We welcome all to apply with preference given to families who can benefit the most by learning to garden and supplementing their grocery bill by growing their own food. If you would like to download a garden application for yourself or to share with a friend or neighbor, please click
here. Applications are due March 1st. For more information about garden applications or our community garden plots please contact Angie Lauver at
alauver@wilmington.edu or at 937-382-6661 ext 596. For questions about the Backyard Gardens please contact Kaity Best at
kaity_best@wilmington.edu or at 937-382-6661 ext 693.
We would also like to invite you to this month's Winter Farmers' Market located at Swindler & Sons' Florist at 321 W Locust Street in Wilmington on Saturday, January 8th and 22nd. As always, the market provides fresh produce, baked goods, eggs, and meats, as well as candles and other craft items from a variety of local farmers and vendors. For more information about the Clinton County Farmers' Market you can check out their website by clicking
here or contacting Dessie Buchanan at
dessie@buylocalcc.com or at 937-382-6661 ext 488.
Finally, our last Saturday of the month Read and Seed tradition continues in January. January 29th children from ages 2-12 are invited to take part in a Read & Seed at Wilmington College's Center for Service & Civic Engagement on campus. Read & Seed focuses on literacy and education in our young ones with a story and themed activity. Check back soon for this month's theme. If you have questions about Read & Seed or would like to register your child for this event, please contact Mariah Fulton at
mariah_fulton@wilmington.edu or at 937-382-6661 ext. 596.
As always feel free to contact us with questions about any of our programs. We look forward to working with you this year!
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