Gardeners in Community Development

Growing People News Growing People News

Project Report:
1 2 4
4

VOLUME 11

Fall 2005

Inside this issue:

Project Report: GICD Donation Gardening Garden Notes

GICD Donation Gardening

The recent Community Food Security Coalition Conference in Atlanta got me thinking about food security in Dallas and North Texas. The definition of community food security is a condition in which all persons have access to culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate food through local non-emergency sources at all times. We gardeners are sharing people. For those who love vegetable gardening, the sharing of tomatoes and squash, plants and seeds, across backyard fences, with co-workers, at church, and even with strangers, has a special place in our hearts, and is a nostalgic part of gardening stories. There is something triumphant about having too many banana peppers, heirloom okra seeds, or fresh basil that drives you to seek out special persons that will cherish these gifts. Old timers remember that the food shortages experienced during the two World Wars, and the Great Depression brought a flourish of urban food producing gardens. These Liberty, Relief, and Victory Gardens were a patriotic way to support the war effort through the local production of food. People in all areas worked the soil to raise food for their families, friends, and neighbors. Victory gardening enabled more supplies to be shipped to our troops around the world. During the Second World War nearly 20 million Americans were active in Victory Gardens, which produced up to 40% of the food consumed at the time. (www.victoryseeds.com/TheVictoryGarden/page2.html) Today hundreds of cities and towns have community gardens, and while a few urban gardens have long histories, like the Dowling Community Garden in Minneapolis which started over 60 years ago, most of the many thousands of community gardens across the United States and Canada started in the last twenty-five years (visit the American Community Gardening Association website, www.communitygarden.org). The mission of each of these gardens depends on the needs of the local gardening group, and may range from spiritual renewal, environmental enhancement, beautification, community building, horticultural therapy to youth training. Most community gardens produce an abundance of food for gardening members, friends and neighbors. Community gardens contribute to the food security of our communities by increasing horticultural skills and knowledge, organizing people, and food production. In our GICD community gardens, food production and giving some of the harvest to those in need, has always been of the utmost importance. Some of you may know that in the early 1990s we worked with El Paraiso de West Dallas Community Garden, and the Gladewater Road Community Garden. Both of these started with the simple idea that neighborhood members could benefit from coming together to grow food. They were great successes. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and other produce were grown, and most importantly, shared widely across the neighborhood. Gladewater, for a time, mass planted so that neighbors in-need could come pick their own. We learned much from
(Continued on page 2)

Our Saviour Episcopal Church Convention Katrina Sparks Increased Donation Gardening First-timer's Impressions

GICD Supporters Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Tiah's Garden Recipe

6 7 7

4th Graders (quotes from thank you notes...

Visit GICD Online at www.gardendallas.org Upcoming Events:

Plant Sale

2006

Saturday April 8 & Sunday April 9 East Dallas Community Garden

1416 N. Fitzhugh Dallas

PAGE 2 these and other early GICD projects. With the three Asian refugee community gardens in East Dallas, we learned that former Cambodian and Laotian farmers are great market gardeners, and the best way to get the most food to the greatest number of needy people is to encourage their market gardening skills. These Dallas urban farmers know how to grow more per square foot, and also deliver more high quality fresh vegetables for a dollar, than anyone I have ever gardened with. For low income residents of our city, there is no better place to buy vegetables. These community gardens are a great example of how one group of people has worked to bring about food security for themselves and their community. There is a close, often personal or family connection between grower and consumer; there is no wasted energy in transportation, marketing, packaging, and storage; the gardens are productive in all seasons and a reliable source of culturally appropriate food, and the low costs make nutritious food highly accessible to both grower and consumer.

GR OW IN G P EOP LE NE WS F AL L 200 5

VOLUME 11 organize groups to till, plant, and harvest for pantry distribution. These small plots dont have to be permanent on-going community gardens, but at least seasonal plantings. More people should plant backyard gardens, or expand their gardens (maybe organize a Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign www. gardenwriters.org/Par/) and begin to make the giving of locally food grown a bigger part of Dallas life. We need more urban and rural farmers growing for local consumption, with farmers markets located right in needy neighborhoods. For more on food security, and a much broader picture of all the kinds of projects that could help end hunger, please visit the Community Food Security Coalition website (www. foodsecurity.org). GICD is so thankful that so many organizations and individuals have helped us play a role in the food security of our city. Story by Don Lambert

In the last three years, two GICD community gardens were started by groups wanting to donate vegetables to local food pantries. The results have been amazing. As I write this, Hope Community Garden has just reached a cumulative official total for this year of 1,589 pounds, and unofficial donations, those that gardeners gave to the local food pantry that didnt get weighed and recorded, probably would raise the total to over 1,700 pounds. Mind you, every gardener consumed an ample amount of what they grew themselves in their small plots, and still had extra to donate. The major shortcoming of this scheme is that the gardeners could not find enough time, and were constantly seeking volunteers, to help pick and transport the excess grown to the local food pantry! An even more successful donation garden this year has been Our Savour Community Garden, which has donated over 4,200 pounds. There is so much to be done if we are to have any measure of food security here in North Texas. For now, we would like to see more churches and other places

GARDEN NOTES:
Plant SaleOur 2005 plant sale was the best ever. The total
raised was $5,176, which goes towards garden improvements, new projects, and organic gardening education. Please be sure to attend the next plant sale on April 8 & 9, 2006 at the East Dallas Community Garden, and April 22 at Our Saviour Community Garden.

Garden Field Trips for Children Three GICD

community gardens have provided educational and fun-filled field trips for area daycare and school children. For seven weeks, starting June 15th, Wilkinson Center Summer Youth Program brought 6 to 12 year olds on Wednesdays, in groups of about 12 each, on field trips to either Hope or the East Dallas Community Garden. Children learned about different vegetables and seemed to have the most fun just following the Asian gardeners around as they went about their gardening chores. Then, in October and November, Our Saviour Garden hosted school children from nearby Nathaniel Hawthorne. Two groups of forty 4th graders and one group of fifty 6th graders learned about composting and vermiculture (the earthworms were a huge hit, especially with the boys), made rosemary wreaths, toured the garden, learned about the different herbs and vegetables, and correct organic gardening practices. The older children were given packets of seeds provided by GICD and Heifer International to grow at home. At the end of their visit they sampled food made from the gardens vegetables (yes, even children will eat snake gourd and eggplant when they can see it growing) and were treated to dirt cake with gummy worms, a chocolate cake made with zucchini. (see Page 7: 4th Graders (quotes from thank you notes following a visit to Our Saviour Community Garden)
(Continued on page 3)

Dug InThe Dallas Urban Gardening Initiative, funded by

Heifer International, began rolling with the receipt of our first check on February 5. By February 26, new raised beds were installed at Our Saviour, followed by finishing the fence and garden training area. We have now started the worm farm and our bees are doing well. The front and side flower beds have attracted much attention. These improvements have brought record harvests, and make it easier to use the garden for training.

Garden PlotsOur Saviour and Hope Community

Gardens currently have space available for several new garden team members. There may also be one or two openings in the East Dallas Community Garden in the next few months. Priority is always given to persons living within one mile, or in the local neighborhood, and to individuals that help organize and build. New gardeners must commit to joining the existing garden teams work on group initiatives, in addition to caring for their own garden plot. Interested? Contact GICD.

VOLUME 11

GR OW IN G P EOP LE NE WS F AL L 200 5 (Continued from page 2)

PAGE 3

GARDENERS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

2005 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
H. Edward Sholty, President Darlene Smith, Vice President Carolyn Bush, Secretary Rick Guerrero, Treasurer Gerald G. Carlton Bob Curry Martha Doleshal Joanna L. Hampton Don Lambert Rebecca Smith

GICD in the News (a sampling from this past year) Our Saviours Community Garden. December 2004, Esprit (Episcopal
Diocese of Dallas newsletter). With photos of fence building workday volunteers for the JPM Chase Bank.

Gardeners Sow Seeds of Change in Urban Neighborhoods: Group shares bounty with the communitys neediest. Feb 4, 2005, Lakewood People. Hope Garden holds special harvest. September 22, 2005, The White Rocker. Story about Dallas County Master Gardeners and other volunteers planting and harvesting to benefit Katrina evacuees. Dallas Community Gardens, by Judy Hominick. Sept/Oct 2005, Texas Gardener Magazine. Story with photos about GICD history and work. Photos from several of our gardens, especially the Asian gardens, and the Breadbasket Pantry are included.

STAFF
Don Lambert, Executive Director Bunyay Nhonh, Education Assistant

Board Members NeededThe GICD Board of Directors meets

about once a month, and needs more members (annual meeting January 19). Board members are very special volunteers that, among other things, are dedicated to seeing that GICDs mission is carried out, help with public relations and fund raising, and volunteer during special events. Interested? Contact GICD.

BOARD ASSOCIATES
Ethel Sirls Campbell Navy Chean Lee Cobler Jennifer Conrad Myrna Gorchoff Jim Hobbs Michael Johnson Charles Kemp Ellen Khurshudian Tiah Lambert Levy Laguardia Kate Macaulay Bunyay Nhonh A.L. Nickerson Sophorn Pich Lance Rasbridge Paul Thai

GICD FundraisingThe need for community gardens has never been greater. The money given by you, our supporters, your pro bono help, and your purchases at our annual plant sale are very important to us. The recent Heifer International funding is a great help, but we are struggling to find an additional $20,000 just to continue current commitments. Now, more than ever, our gardens are feeding families while building stronger communities rooted in gardening and sharing. Please consider the power of a gift to the community invested through Gardeners in Community Development. Wish Listwe need three wheelbarrows (in good condition), a chippershredder, heated growing pads for plants, clean 4 pots, a pickup truck (we cant afford repairs), a land survey, and someone with a tractor to till a new garden site.
Some of the volunteer groups that helped make a difference Service for PeaceNancy Cho, Stacy Cho, Tracy Cho, Nari Choi, Nan Suk Park, Marten Hernandez, Nan Young Koo, Sam Koo, Kojo Okamura Honey Extraction TeamLee & Maggie Cobler, Ashlynn & Rebecca
Smith; Amanda, Andrew, Michael & Sophia Brown

Gardeners in Community Development

www.gardendallas.org
901 Greenbriar Lane Richardson, TX 75080 972-231-3565 214-675-8473 cell [email protected]
For information about newsletter contents, or permission to reprint, contact our acting editor, Don Lambert, at 972-231-3565.

Special Thanks to Volunteers

UTD Volunteer TeamBrandon Beuerlein, Erica Chavez, Marisela

Escanilla, Brandon Javis, Laura Valdez, Gus Vasquea

Hope Garden TeamCarolyn Bush, Bob Curry, Cassandra Delarios,

Myrna Gorchoff, Dennis & Donna King, Kate Macaulay, A.L. Nickerson, Seor Ortiz, Brandon & Susan Pollard, Charlotte Stowers

Our Saviour Garden TeamThe Brown Family, Lee & Maggie

Cobler, Jose & Elizabeth Guevara, Cris Hodge, Sybil Koss, Terry Laguardia, Terry Morgan, A.L. Nickerson, Nona Payne, Ed Sholty, Jackie & Jim Swafford, Darlene Smith, Rebecca Smith, Lee Stubbs GICD Garden Friends TeamCarolyn Bush, Myrna Gorchoff, Tiah & Aaron Lambert, Ed Sholty, Darlene Smith, Rebecca Smith

PAGE 4

GR OW IN G P EOP LE NE WS F AL L 200 5

VOLUME 11

Our Saviour Episcopal Church goes to Convention and takes GICD, Heifer International and Community Gardening with it!
The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour is celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year. We took this celebration to the 110th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas at the Adams Mark Hotel, Oct. 21-22, with an exhibit on our past, present and future. donations. Heifer International provided seed packets that we distributed to exhibit visitors along with pamphlets on "passing on the gift." With the help of our Sunday School children, we baked zucchini (from the and her harvested rosemary. Fr. Ed Sholty (current GICD board president) and Deacon Nona Payne, a volunteer, were able to be at the display and talk gardening during meeting intermissions.

On Saturday a team evaluating Heifer Internationals North American urban agriculture projects, consisting Our Saviour Community Garden of Bert Lof (ETC Foundation which was established and is of the Netherlands), Dr. growing with continued help Rigoberto Delgado (Southwest from GICD, is a ministry of the Heifer Program Manager), and Church of Our Saviour to "plot Don Lambert (Executive against hunger." Director of GICD), took time With 77 churches from North and from their tour of GICD Northeast Texas represented, this community gardens to make a was a perfect time and audience special visit to the convention for GICD! exhibit hall. The team was able to meet several of our church Our booth featured the history of members and volunteers, and our community garden from 2003 was thrilled with the pride, up to the present, with photos of GICD display at the Episcopal Convention (left to right): Rigo Delgado excitement, accomplishments, (Heifer), Lee Stubbs (Our Saviour), Don Lambert (GICD), Ed Sholty (GICD), the garden, harvests, gardeners, and powerful message from Bert Lof (ETC Foundation), and Jackie Swafford (Our Saviour). meetings, volunteer workdays, Our Saviour Church that and student visits. We let people community gardening is a blessing and garden, of course) bread to give out. know how we were helped by a donation beneficial addition to community life. Tiah Lambert and Sybil Koss provided from the Episcopal Church of St. goodies from the garden for a drawing. Anne's to install a watering system, by a So far from this exhibit there are two We dressed the table with baskets of JP Morgan Chase grant and volunteers churches and one church school zinnias and harvested vegetables and during Global Days to build the fence, by interested in establishing donation herbs. The display drew the attention! Heifer International's gifts of livestock gardens, several individuals interested in Then we talked Community (bees and worms) and raised beds, and volunteering or donating excess harvest Gardening! by GICDs training and support. We are from their home gardens to food pantries, so grateful for all of our blessings! one couple has signed up to a garden plot Some members of Our Saviour Church, at OSG, and several schools will be including Lee Stubbs, Jackie Swafford We handed out an updated GICD scheduling student visits. and Sophia Brown, manned the exhibit donation pamphlet with a special insert with GICD board member Darlene on Our Saviour Garden's projected Rebecca Smith, November 6, 2005 Smith. Darlene shared her knowledge

Katrina Sparks Increased Donation Gardening

On Saturday September 3, a special harvest was held at Hope Community Garden to benefit area food banks serving Katrina evacuees and others in need. Members of Hope Garden, Gardeners in Community Development and Dallas County Master Gardeners harvested 92 pounds of okra, eggplant Malabar spinach, black eyed peas, tomatoes and other vegetables. The

produce was donated to Wilkinson Centers food pantry. A Dallas County Master Gardener, John Walker, brought his tiller and helped work up the back half of the garden so that we could have increased yields for donation. From October 13th through the first week of November, this special Katrina inspired planting has provided over 450 pounds of fresh greens for the Wilkinson Centers Food Pantry and the Methodists Bread Basket.

Not to be outdone, Our Saviour Community Garden has also increased its donation planting area. In keeping with the idea that one good deed begets another, two of the Master Gardeners that volunteered in this effort at Hope, came back the next day to volunteer at St. Lukes Community Life Center, across the street from the garden. St. Lukes has played a major role in both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief efforts. Carolyn Bush

VOLUME 11

GR OW I N G P EOP LE NE WS F AL L 200 5

PAGE 5 community gardens, dating from 1943, and engaging over two hundred gardeners on over six acres. On Friday evening, we were treated to a film festival of remarkable documentaries of different community gardens. Saturday afternoon was given over to the annual meeting of the ACGA and then followed up by a dinner and silent auction held at the Coffman Memorial Union. Our speaker on that occasion was Dr. Laura Lawson of the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign. She delivered an illustrated lecture reviewing the history of the community gardening movement in the United States. Her book, City Bountiful, a Century of Community Gardening in America, was seven years in the writing. Many tours were offered before and after the conference, some by bicycle in what proved to be a very bikefriendly city. A number of delegates, including Don and me, spent five hours kayaking on the Mississippi, which runs through Minneapolis and alongside the UM campus. The August issue of the ACGA's Community Gardener contains a number of convention photos taken by Don and Tiah.

First-timer's Impressions: The ACGA Convention

Once a year, representatives of the 837 member American Community Gardening Association come together to share ideas, network and provide support for each other's local efforts. GICD Executive Director, Don Lambert, had tried for three years to get me to attend, but this was the first time I was able to do so. I didn't know what I had been missing. Don and Tiah Lambert, Darlene Smith and I represented GICD at the 26th Annual Conference of the ACGA, which met August 12-14 in Minneapolis, on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The conference theme, "Gardening in the Heartland: at the Water's Edge" reflected its location as well as Minneapolis' enthusiastic support of the urban agrarian movement. There are over 100 community gardens in that city alone! The conference included over two hundred community gardeners and their supporters.

Our days were filled with workshop sessions offering a rich diversity of ideas and approaches for community gardening programs. Among those were the practical "Rainwater Harvesting for Community Gardens," the "Raising Community Awareness for Plant Conservation," "Community Garden Fund Raising and Organizing," "Accessible Gardening in a Retirement Community" and a Chicago program for involving teens in sustainable food systems and healthy nutrition. As there were more workshops than any one could attend, we agreed to go separate ways to cover as many of the rich offerings as possible. During breaks and between sessions the delegates strolled the halls which were filled with exhibit tables loaded with information from numerous gardens across the US and Canada.

One's first impression was of climate. Flying out of triple-digit heat, we landed in a cloud-covered Midwest metropolis with daytime temps in the mid-70s and evenings in the 50's. It proved quite the welcome respite. Everywhere one turned, at the airport and on campus, there were large planters overflowing with bright petunias, this long after their Dallas cousins had faded in the heat. ACGA Conference attendees toured the 62 year old Dowling Community

Up until now, my experience with community gardening had Garden in Minneapolis, and participated in their annual Tomato Tasting been largely through Festival featuring dozens of heirloom tomato varieties grown in the garden. The conference opened with a session GICD. This convention featuring Minneapolis' Mayor R.T. opened my eyes to the breadth of the Various tours took delegates off Rybak, followed by the keynote speaker, urban agrarian movement and its great campus to local community gardens Mark Ritchie of the Institute for diversity. It allowed me to meet and including one operated by a group of Agriculture and Trade Policy. Ritchie converse with many of the nationally Korean-Americans, tucked away in a compared the creative act of gardening to known leaders in this fascinating field. triangle of land bordered by down town our social actions that connect us with The moral, if Don asks you to represent highways, streets and light rail. Groups other forces to shape our communities GICD next time, seize the opportunity. also visited the famous Dowling and nation. Democracy is a form of this Garden, one of America's oldest combining of social forces, and as Ed Sholty, GICD Board President community gardeners we need to pay more attention to our democracy. "We To learn about the American Community need to be clear on how gardening in Gardening Association, visit community helps sustain our democracy www.communitygarden.org. and how our democracy helps sustain our Please consider becoming a member and communities and our gardens."
supporting this great non-profit organization.

PAGE 6

GR OW IN G P EOP LE NE WS F AL L 200 5

VOLUME 11

GICD SUPPORTERS
FALL 2004-FALL 2005
Communities Foundation of Texas Heifer International JP Morgan Chase Bank Walmart Les Dames Descoffier Munger Place Historic District Peter ODonnell, Jr. Dr. Larry A. Cooper & Ann McGee-Cooper Jim & Linda Jordan Hobbs
Noel & Jeannie Barrick Gerald G. Carlton Darlene Smith & Jay Dowling Blue Mesa Grill Dallas Organic Garden Club Safeway/Tom Thumb Award Card
Linda Ahrens Steven & Linda Ali Gordon & Louise Appleman Lorlee C. Bartos Barbara Baughman Rose Blatch Carolyn Bush Mr. & Mrs. Caffrey Mathew & Linda Craig Beverly K. Cunningham Mark DeHaven Ted Dornseifer Nancy Edwards & Bob Randall Cindy & Scott Freedman Green Living Malaysian Family Club Pepsico Gary Groh Mary Margaret Halleck
Albi & Peter Assman Subapote Atiyawijitr H.W. & Shelley Baerwaldt Eric & Catherine Barr Roger & Lorraine Carroll Jane Cockrell Boyce & Patricia Farrar Roger & Patty Frederick Sharan & Lynn Goldstein Myrna Gorchoff Jim & Marianne Howells Mark & Ann Joseph Jacquelyn Keither Robin Kosberg Kurt Kretsinger Daniel Kunsch Steal Lawson Veletta Lill Jannette Lockridge Gay & Charles Lustfield Carol S. & Jack Lyons Bill Matthews Patricia Parrish Lupe Perez Shirley Pollock

John & Joanna Hampton Larry M. Harrington H. William Jessie, Jr. Tom & Pungut Korytowski Murray & Michelina Leaf Vicki & Mike Millican Janet Newberger Adrian Peterson Joanne & James Pratt Louise B. Raggio Lance Rasbridge & Diane Sumoski Judson Mark Sinclair Mr. & Mrs. Darwin Smith Mrs. Lisa O. Smith Rosni Uzairi & Miles Dunn Amanda Vanhoozier Ann Whittus Jeffrey & Elizabeth Zucker
Jan Pruitt John Pullman Beverly Samuels Thompson & Taryn Sawyer Kenneth Soo Michael & Kasmah Sumner Texas Blooms Organic Landscape Co. Sammye Toulmin Marcy Veatch Roger & Sue Yaekel Carol Weinstein Sally Wylde

VOLUME 11

GR OW IN G P EOP LE NE WS F AL L 200 5

PAGE 7

Tiahs Garden Recipe: Holiday Spiced Honeyed Pickled Peppers (Refrigerator Style)
4 cups 2 cups 1 cup 1 tsp 1/2 tsp 2 inch 8 sliced peppers use mixture of hot and sweet such as jalapeo, Hungarian wax, pimento, and sweet banana vinegar honey salt tumeric powder stick of cinnamon, broken in halves cloves

Step 1: Pack the sliced peppers tightly into 2 one pint jars. Step 2: In a stainless steel pot boil the vinegar, add the honey and all the other ingredients. Stir well and bring to a full boil. Step 3: Pour solution in the jars to cover the peppers. Distribute cinnamon and cloves between jars. Cover jars immediately. Allow to cool before refrigerating. Note: these pickles must be kept in the refrigerator, and should keep well there for up to three months. They are ready to eat after 3 days. Enjoy with holiday meals!

4th Graders (verbatim from thank you notes following a visit to Our Saviour Community Garden)
Thank you for letting us touch the worms and we enjoy the garden. We wighed punkins, okra, peppers, and squash. We saw rosemary, thyme, and basil. Thank you very muck. Thank you for showing us you flower, pumpkins, okra and thank you for leting us get the peppers. I will allways remember that day. Thank you. I wish I went agin.

Become a Community Gardening Supporter

Individual or Group
Principal Supporter $1000 or more ____ Organizations Individual/Family Other Amount $ 35 ____ $ 25 ____ $ ______________

Business or Corporation
Program Supporter Garden Supporter Small Project $1500 or more ____ $ 500 ____ $ 250 ____

Make checks payable to:

GICD

Gardeners in Community Development is a 501(C)(3) organization Please mail your contribution to: GICD, 901 Greenbriar Lane, Richardson, TX 75080
Your name _________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________________________ City __________________________________ Zip ___________________ Phone ____________________

G ROW I NEWSLETTER, N E W S FA LL 2 0 5 GARDENERS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT N G P E O P LE GROWING PEOPLE0NEWSFALL 2005, VOLUME 11

PLANT SALE

THE 2006 COMMUNITY GARDEN

Saturday April 8 & Sunday April 9
EAST DALLAS COMMUNITY GARDEN 1416 N. FITZHUGH AVENUE

Tom Thumbs Good Neighbor Program Benefits Gardeners in Community Development

Another way to help GICD to is to shop at the IGIVE.COM site on the internet. Each purchase you make will provide benefits for our community gardening program. Go to IGIVE.COM , register as a Gardeners in Community Development supporter. Be sure when asked to type in your cause to enter Gardeners in Community Development. Once registered, you can return anytime and your shopping will be linked to supporting GICD. They will send us the donation, and you can enjoy easy low-cost online shopping. Thank you!

IGIVE.COM

GICDs Good Neighbor Number is: 6714

The next time youre at Tom Thumb, remember to link your Reward Card to our number. Tom Thumb will pay us a percentage of your total purchases providing another way for you to donate. So be sure and use your card every time you shop!

Fall 2005
Gardeners in Community Development 901 Greenbriar Lane Richardson, TX 75080

Growing People News