Sunday, September 5, 2010 will be the Grow And Share Music Festival 2010 (annual fundraiser). It will be held at Durham Central Park in Durham NC. Details are available on our site at http://www.growandshare.org/?page_id=278.
Grow And Share’s new newsletter, The Garden’s Edge, has been released today. Issue One is available on our newsletter website, http://www.thegardensedge.org.
We plan to release a newsletter issue on a regular basis as we move forward. Each issue will have information on our activities, as well as tips and information for gardeners.
Issue One, just posted today, includes information on our activities as well as thank yous for our donors and volunteers.
Saturday, January 23rd the Grow And Share Board of Directors met in Zebulon, NC. Our agenda covered many topics, including a review of 2009 activities, plans for 2010, and changes to our Board.
In follow-up to that meeting, Grow And Share announces that several changes have been made to make our Board of Directors even more comprehensive. Three new experts have been added to the Board’s roll: Jan Alford, Mitch Amiano, and Azuka Molokwu.
More information on these gentlemen and the rest of the Board may be found on the boardmember bio’s page.
We are also sorry to see one board member resign. Mr. Whatley, co-founder of Grow And Share, has resigned to take on new duties with a local broadcasting network. We thank him for all he has done to create and expand Grow And Share, and thank him for the support we know he will continue to give as a volunteer.
Awesome job with the greenhouse, Steven! It looks great: http://spencesgarden.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/some-houses-should-be-built-of-glass/
Suzin Daly will be producing documentaries on communities in Wake County. One of the documentaries will be about Grow and Share. She was taken with Kay and Frank’s story on starting a nonprofit organization that helps people in the community feed themselves and help others by giving away excess produce to people in need, or by bringing produce to a pre-organized event for giveaway.
Suzin started filming Monday January 18th covering the re-building of the green house that was donated to Grow And Share. Video from that MLK Day Of Service will be part of the documentary coming out in late 2010. In the meantime, she has created a brief “snippet” video of that event for YouTube. I hope that you will take the 2+ minutes to view it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j0qf11Cd0w.
Suzin will be following the Grow and Share progress over the next five months, interviewing and filming many people involved and those who have been helped by this program. Anyone interested in further information, or who would like to be involved with the documentary, can contact Suzin at suzin [at] suzindaly [dot] com.
When the documentary is finished there will be a free premiere showing and the film will air on Raleigh Television Network, cable 10.
Documentary filmmaker Suzin Daly is studying for her Masters in Fine Arts in filmmaking. As one of her graduate projects she is exploring activities in her local community.
Thank you very much to Wendy and Mark G. for their large donation yesterday of plant inserts, trays, and soil! You’ve given us a good start for many seeds, and we’ll be back to pick up the rest of the load as soon as the greenhouse is floored.
Quick pic of first carload
Also Thank you to Suzin D. for offering to donate tables for the inside of the greenhouse. We hope to pick them up ASAHP (as soon as humanly possible).
Since receiving the donation of Greenhouse #2, we and many volunteers have worked on disassembling, moving, and reassembling the greehouse.
We are close to done
Today much of the front framing was put up. Here is a photo of the greenhouse as it is today.
Greenhouse #2 as it stands on January 24 2010
By the end of this new week — barring too much rain — we hope to finish the framing. Then we will need 4-6 volunteers to help us pull the plastic into place and attach it to the greenhouse. Next, we’ll cover the front and back of the greenhouse, and be ready to put in the flooring and tables.
The plan is still to start planting February 1st, 2010.
This could be referred to as the Grow And Share “Volunteers Wish List”. We have several tasks for which we need assistance from individuals with specific skills.
- accounting pro / CPA to assist with finalization (review, advice) for 2009 non-profit tax returns (fed and state)
- attorney with non-profit knowledge for several board action items
- 501(c)(3) submissions expert to help with questions related to our status
- gardening expert(s) for submission of article, tip, or planting guide for upcoming newsletter issue
- fundraising expert willing to share advice on upcoming fundraiser and reaching sponsors
- expert, architect, or greenhouse builder to help us set up water reclamaition from our new greenhouse’s roof
If you would like to help Grow And Share with these or any other tasks, please feel free to call or email (information at left beneath the sponsor ads).
First picture of donated plant pots
Second picture of donated plant pots
Third picture of donated plant pots
Right now, our plan is to use these pots for a project we have coming up with a Senior Center. We have some special seeds for mini tomato plants and mini sweet pea plants, and hope to plant those seeds in these pots and pass them along to the seniors for their windowsills.
Thank you so much, Karen!
We were recently approached by a volunteer who asked us about our “wish list”. She said that she wanted to know what Grow And Share needed to continue its fight against hunger. We decided to post our wish list here on the website.
Note that part of this is funds needed, and we hope a group will volunteer to hold a fundraiser for us in February.
- white outdoor paint (several gallons)
- sand for new greenhouse floor (approximately 16 tons)
- $700 funding to purchase very small seed-starter pots (plastic/peat) or donation of 10,000 units
- $250 funding for additional potting soil, or donation of over a ton of quality soil
- $2,500 general funding for utilities and project expenses
- business sponsor for Raleigh garden plant giveaway in April
- grass seed for area around new greenhouse
- sponsors for Grow And Share Music Festival 2010
- donated sign creation for greenhouse dedication ceremony
- donated time by certified electrician
If you or your business can help us with any of the items or funding above, please email or call ASAP. Some of these items are needed around February 1 2010 to ensure the greenhouse ramps up on time.
As for the volunteer who started us on our wish list creation, one of the big items we needed, it turned out she had and was happy to give. We’ll be picking it up next week!