Grow-A-Row and Spread Some Hope

At Grow Food, Grow Hope, we grow a lot of food and we give a lot of people hope, but with your help we can do so much more. This summer we are kicking off a new program called Grow-A-Row. Anyone can take part and it's easy to do. All you have to do is plant an extra row of fruits or vegetables when you start your growing season. When that row is ready to harvest, you can take it to a local pantry or donation site and give the gift of food to a family in need.

Fresh produce is especially hard for most pantries to come by due to it's perishable nature, but it is the healthiest and tastiest way to enjoy most fruits and vegetables. You can grow as much or as little as you have space for - every pound helps. You can also invite friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, or classmates to take part in the process with you.

We've created a starter packet which includes a Donation Log and a list of local Donation Sites in Clinton County and the surrounding area. Click on the image below to download the packet. Within the packet, you will find a Registration Form. Fill it out and send it back to us and you're ready to go.

Register now to be a Grow-A-Row site! Click the image below.

If you have questions, please send an email to Sarah Bachman, an AmeriCorps VISTA with Grow Food, Grow Hope or call (937) 382-6661 ext. 693

100 Mile Food Challenge

Students, click the image below to fill out the 100 Mile Challenge Survey!

On February 10th students from Denver Elementary, Holmes Elementary and East End Elementary, as well as home schooled students, attended a Lincoln Day Celebration hosted by Wilmington College and the Meriam Hare Quaker Heritage Center. Grow Food, Grow Hope was on hand too, reading stories and talking about the kinds of food our Nation’s 16th president might have eaten. An emphasis was placed on foods that would have been found within 100 miles of the White House in the mid 1800’s.

We wanted students to get a first-hand idea of what it was like to only eat locally produced food, so, inspired by the book, "The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating" by Alisa Smith and JB MacKinnon, as well as our own love of eating local, Grow Food, Grow Hope invited students to take part in a 100 Mile Challenge of their own. We asked students to make a meal or a snack with ingredients from within 100 miles of Wilmington and then report back to us in a survey to tell us how it went. With any luck, they will come to realize what eating locally really means and will learn to make more sustainable food choices in the future.

Apply Now For Your Plot in the Community Garden

It's that time of year again when we invite residents of Clinton County to apply for a plot in the Friends of Hope Community Garden. Applications are due by March 15th, 2012

We have 40 spaces available and all plots are FREE!

Click to Download an Application

If you have questions, please send an email to Bernadette Gallagher, an AmeriCorps VISTA with Grow Food, Grow Hope or call (937) 382-6661 ext. 693