Community Garden Build

 

The dust has settled after Saturday's hugely successful garden build and we are still overwhelmed by the amount of community support for this project. Thank you to everyone who gave part of their weekend to make this garden a reality. Gardeners will be getting calls in the next few days with bed assignments -- soon we'll start seeing green, growing life in all these beds!

Volunteers worked hard to assemble beds, cover them with gopher wire, put them in place, and fill them with soil. Complex logistics were key to the success of the day and Connor Caldwell, a VISTA member with the First 5 Service Corps, did a great job keeping everyone busy and on-task.

And what soil it was! Eco Nutrients delivered 60 yards of high-quality enhanced dirty fines and volunteers brought enough wheel barrows to deal with that mountain, one shovel-full at a time. The Wellness Center Garden will provide space to grow, play, and exercise for years to come. Thank you to everyone who provided time, labor, materials, food, and expertise to making this a reality.

The Weather Is Sweet

While early reports showed that we would be expecting rain on Saturday, it's looking like we're going to luck out and the sunshine will continue through the weekend!  Check back here Saturday morning for a further update, but I think it's safe to uncross our fingers.

Community Garden Build -- Bring Your Work Gloves!

People who leave Crescent City on Friday afternoons and stay out of town until returning to work on Monday will have a big surprise next week. Where there is just a vacant lot this week, there will be a new community garden come Monday. If you haven't already heard the news, there is a huge community volunteer day happening this Saturday, May 21st, at the Wellness Center campus on Northcrest and Washington.

Fifty raised beds are going to be assembled, put in place, and filled with the lucious enhanced dirty fines produced by Del Norte's own Eco-Nutrients. We're expecting a big turnout, but we'll still take volunteers, especially those who come bearing shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, staple guns, tin snips or metal shears, and power screwdrivers. In a few hours, bare, compacted dirt will be covered by fertile soil in raised beds. 

The fun begins at 10am and we'll have coffee in the morning and lunch around noon. Under-18 volunteers are welcome, but will need a parent's signature on a release form in order to work. The event is weather-dependent -- if it's raining lightly or misting off and on, check back here to see if it's still on. We want our gardeners to be able to start growing, so we won't be easily scared by a little rain! If you have questions before the event, you can call Connor at 464-9190 ext. 119 for more information.

What Can YOU Do?

Hunger is a persistent problem across the United States and especially here in Del Norte County. Hunger is not always visible and you may never know that a person you encounter during the day has trouble getting sufficient calories for their health and well-being.

If you have never thought about hunger in our county, consider this: the California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP) conducted a health survey for the North Coast in 2006. One question asked was, "In the past twelve months were you or people living in your household ever hungry because you couldn't afford enough food?" One in ten respondents answered, "Yes." This was before the current economic downturn.

So what can we do as a community to help alleviate hunger? What can we do as individuals? There are many things. One is to acknowledge that hunger exists in our community, but there are many others.

Tomorrow, May 14th, for instance, you could put a bag of non-perishable foods near your mail box. It's the 19th Annual Help Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, put on by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Your carrier will pick up food left at your mailbox and take it back to the post office. The food collected locally stays right here in our community -- CAN and Rural Human Services both receive the donations for their food banks. This is late notice, I know, but every little bit helps!

If you've ever wondered what food banks need most, think about non-perishables that are very nutrient-dense. Peanut butter, canned or dried beans, vegetable-rich soups, canned tuna or salmon, canned fruit (in its own juice), 100% juice, and shelf-stable milk are always welcome in a food box.

If you're a gardener, you can help, too! Plant a Row for the Hungry is a project of the Garden Writers Association. When you plan your garden, plant one extra row of veggies to give to your local food bank. CAN distributes food boxes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and we always need more fresh produce! If you would like to give back to the community by growing food for your neighbors who need a little extra help, please call Angela or Connor at 464-9190.

Many of our neighbors worry about where their next meal will come from. If we work together, we can help erase those worries.

Art Walk: Friday 4 to 7 pm

We are very excited to offer a preview of this Friday's Art Walk. CAN's office at 343 G Street will be a participating venue for the first time and we have a great show lined up for your enjoyment. The theme of the show is Food and Farms and we will have both visual and functional art related to the theme.

E. Chris Wisner, as you can see from these samples, takes stunning pictures of produce that can elevate our view of these "humble" foods. We will also have a collection of photographs of bees and beekeepers by Miranda Forni and some functional art in the form of mixed-wood cutting boards made by fine woodworker Mike Olmstead.

We're looking forward to seeing you all during the Art Walk. Food and beverages will be served -- and we are most likely going to have live music, too!

CAN's downtown office building is located just off the corner of G Street and 3rd Street, near Glenn's Bakery and the Triplicate offices.