F & F Work Day 2

AACRC Faith & Food Friends,

Garden Helpers

• We thank Lilian for tending the garden this week.
• Ryan & Megan will tend the garden next week.

• If you can avail yourself for one or more of the following weeks, please let Cathy know.

Only 5 weeks, out of 25, remain in need of a gardener or two.

Dates Needing Gardeners

• July 30 - Aug 4
• Aug 13 - 18
• Aug 20 - 25
• Sept 3 - 8
• Oct 1 - 6

Next Work Day

• 2nd Work Day is this Saturday, June 2nd, 9a.m. - noon.
• Planting tomatoes, beans, squash, flowers

Deliveries to Food Gatherers

• 10 lbs of collards & kale were delivered to Food Gatherers this week!

Working with you,

Cathy Green

Garden Update - May 23, 2012

Hello F & F Volunteers!

The collards & kale have grown very nicely. In my opinion, we can harvest most of them this week, or early next week, and use the raised beds for other plantings on June 2. The peas are doing well, but will need more time to grow.

Next work day is Saturday, June 2nd. We will plant tomatoes, squash, beans and carrots.

We thank the Stobs for tending the garden last week. I am tending it this week and next week will be Lilian.

We still have 7 weeks needing a garden attendant. Please let me know if you are willing and available.

Dates Needing Gardeners

• June 4 - 9
• July 2 - 7
• July 30 - Aug 4
• Aug 13 - 18
• Aug 20 - 25
• Sept 10 - 15
• Oct 1 - 6

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Cathy

Update May 9, 2012

Garden Friends,

We want to thank many of you for your quick response to help tend to the Faith & Food Garden.

Please see below for 9 weeks remaining to be claimed. Email is a fast way to let me know and I will write your name on the church schedule.

I have entered all who have volunteered thus far on the AACRC Web site > calendar > garden. So, if in the future you forget the week you have signed up to garden, it will be readily noted there.

Dates Needing Gardeners

• June 4 - 9
• July 2 - 7
• July 23 - 28
• July 30 - Aug 4
• Aug 13 - 18
• Aug 20 - 25
• Aug 27 - Sept 1
• Sept 10 - 15
• Oct 1 - 6

Finally, please mark your calendars for our next WORK DAY, June 2nd, 9 a.m. to noon. We will plant the remaining vegetables and flowers.

Thanks again and know that it is a pleasure to be working with you,

Cathy

Update May 7, 2012

Faith & Food Garden Friends,

First Work Day

Our first work day started out pretty cold, but warmed up after the first 1.5 hours. Five women and five men were present to clean up in and around the garden areas and extend the height of the fence. Thanks go to Paul Gottschalk for leading us in this project and for picking up all the needed materials. Prior to our first work day, I had compost delivered and spread on the raised beds, so we would be ready for planting early crops. We had a great time working together on the fence and planting the collards, kale and peas.

Welcome New Gardeners

We want to welcome Pastor Ryan's family, the Stephenson family and Ken Elgersma to the Faith & Food Garden mission. They will be helping to tend the garden this year. If anyone knows of others who are interested in helping this year and are not on our email list, please let me know.

Garden

I stopped by the garden this past Saturday to see how our early plantings were doing and all is well. The collards and kale are looking healthy and the peas have sprouted and will be ready in a couple weeks to coax onto their supports. God has given us plenty of rain, so the work has been easy for those tending.

Workers Needed

We have many weeks open for your participation and care of the garden that I'll list below. If you are able to help tend the garden this year (and we hope you are) please look over the list, check your personal calendar and sign up. You can sign-up on the form in the Fellowship Hall or you can let me know via email, whichever is easier for you. I will then transfer the information to our Garden Calendar on the church website. You may sign up for one or more weeks. Last year, some people partnered up with others to tend the garden together. (For those who are new, the weekly tasks include weeding, watering, pest control, coaxing the peas upwards on their supports and, in the fall, harvesting and delivery to Food Gatherers. Contact Barb or Cathy if you have any questions and we'll do our best to answer.)

Dates Needing Gardeners

• May 7 - 12
• May 14 - 19
• June 4 - 9
• July 2 - 7
• July 9 - 14
• July 16 - 21
• July 23 - 28
• July 30 - Aug 4
• Aug 13 - 18
• Aug 20 - 25
• Aug 27 - Sept 1
• Sept 10 - 15
• Oct 1 - 6

Financial Support

If your participation in the Faith & Food Garden has been through financial support, we thank you. If you would like to contribute funds to the Faith & Food Garden this year, that can be done during church offering. Please be sure to write Faith & Food Garden on the memo line of your check and your donation will be put in the Garden account. We had an early contribution to the garden fund this year, which allowed the compost and fence project to proceed. We will be purchasing plants, flowers, pest control items, and fencing for tomato stands the last couple weeks of May, so financial support will be appreciated. Thank you.

Working with you to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Blessings,

Cathy

1st Work Day

Hello Fellow Faith & Food Volunteers!

This is just a reminder that our 1st Work Day is this Saturday, April 21st, from 9am to 1pm.

Paul Gottschalk is purchasing the materials and all will be on site to build a permanent 2' extension to the height of the fence.

We will also plant some cool weather crops.

If you have any of the following, please bring:

• Gloves
• Electric or cordless drills
• Hammer
• trowel

Thanks very much. Praying for good weather to do our work,

Cathy

April On Broadway

Faith and Food GardenCathy Green & Barb Okonkwo

Doesn’t this wonderful early spring weather just make you eager to get in the garden? (Hopefully it is still in the 60’s plus when you read this!)

Faith and food gardeners are looking forward to planting, too, but first the beds have to be prepared and some work on the fence needs to be done.

Just a refresher for those who are new to the church or wondering about that fenced-in plot of land as you enter the parking lot, AACRC has joined a community-wide iinistry that grows produce for distribution through Food Gatherers. Last year was the first year for the garden and we were able to donate over 250 pounds of produce for people in our community. This is a practical, hands on way for our congregation to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our neighbors: the poor, the needy, the unemployed, and those on the margins of society.

Working in the garden is a great way to have some fun and fellowship while helping others. We need people to plant and build and weed and water and harvest.

Our first workday is scheduled for April 21st from 9 am to 1 pm. We will be cleaning up the beds and planting some early crops. We will also be adding to the height of the fence to deer-proof the garden. On June 2nd we will be planting the summer crops. Any and all are most welcome to join us.
From the time we first plant until the harvesting is completed in the fall, we will need people to water and weed and harvest. You can sign up for a week or a few days at a time on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall or you can contact us.

F & F Garden 2012 #1‏

Greetings to ALL the past AACRC Faith & Food Gardener Volunteers!

Excitement, Enthusiasm and Energy are in the air as the weather warms, flowers bloom, birds sing and we contemplate another garden. To refresh your memory, our garden was one of 30 - growing produce for distribution through Food Gatherers. For our first year participating, we were able to donate over 250 pounds of produce to Food Gatherers for people in our community!

Last week I attended the Faith & Food Garden Kick-off held at Food Gatherers. It was great to meet other gardeners, to learn a few things and have the opportunity to ask a few questions. Some facts I think you will find interesting are bulleted below.

• 2009 - 2011 a total of 25,022 pounds of produce was donated - A VALUE OF $40,773
• 2009 - 1st year
• 15 congregations
• 3,435 lbs

• 2010 - 2nd year
• 25 congregations
• 9,296 lbs
• 270% increase from 2009

• 2011 - 3rd year
• 30 gardens
• 12,291 lbs
• 32% increase from 2010
• 358% increase from 2009

This year our opening Work Day is April 21st from 9am to 1pm.

• Preparing up the beds (new compost has already been applied)
• Planting some early crops - collards, kale, peas
• Laying out the hose
• Adding to the height of the fence to deer-proof the garden. Paul Gottschalk will organize and head up this fence-finishing project. Thank you, Paul.

2nd Work Day is June 2^nd

• Planting the summer crops - Roma tomatoes, squash, carrots & beans
• Planting the flower containers & marigolds

We want to thank Muriel Learned for being a very dedicated garden steward last year. This year, Muriel has decided to step down from being one of the garden organizers. She will continue to help in other ways, so don't be surprised if you see her out there tending our garden. If you are interested in taking Muriel's place, please contact Barb Okonkwo or Cathy Green for more information.

Finally, like last year, from the time we first plant until the harvesting is completed in the fall, we will need people to water, weed, harvest and deliver the produce to Food Gatherers. If you are willing and able, you will be able to sign up for a week or a few days at a time on the sheet posted on the bulletin board (up by this Sunday) in the fellowship hall, or you can contact Barb or Cathy for further information.

Working, with you, to be the hands and feet of Jesus,

Cathy