This spring will you Plant a Row?

What Is Plant a Row for the hungry?

Launched in 1995 by the Garden Writers Association (GWA), Plant A Row for the Hungry is a people-helping-people program that encourages gardeners to grow a little extra and donate the produce to local soup kitchens and food pantries serving the homeless and hungry in their local communities.

The Need Is Great

• Over 36 million Americans live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger daily. 
• Almost 14 million people facing hunger each day are children. 
• 1-in-8 Americans face hunger daily.

PAR’s mission is to provide an avenue for individuals, corporations and over 84 million gardening households in the U.S. to help America’s most vulnerable citizens and the food agencies serving them.

Harvesting Hope

PAR is a unique community-based program.  It encourages individual and community gardeners to plant and donate an extra row of produce for the greater good in support of food relief organizations in neighborhoods, local districts, cities and counties nationwide. There is no “typical” hungry person.
Rather, he or she looks like all of us and is usually someone who, due to some unforeseen events, finds him/herself needing help. Hunger affects us all, prompting health problems and deteriorating productivity.

Local food agencies are often the only hope some people have to put food on the table for themselves and their children. By donating produce directly to the food agencies, gardeners help organizations and their patrons stretch their meager resources. 

Keeping the Focus on Communities at Home

The American public has responded with open hearts and unprecedented donations to calls for aid for disasters like the Maldive Islands tsunami in 2004, the New Orleans hurricane in 2005, and the Haiti earthquake in 2010. At the same time, local food agencies depend on many of these same charitable sources to help provide food and services to Americans who suffer the daily threat of hunger. Studies show that gifts to local organizations drop significantly following major disasters. By keeping our focus on local community gardens donating produce directly to the food agencies, gardeners help organizations extend their limited resources at a time when their need is greatest and its impact is felt the most.

You Can Make A Difference Through "Plant a Row!"

PAR is rooted in the heartfelt tradition of gardeners sharing a bountiful harvest with others. Sharing can happen on many levels. Home gardeners, schools, church groups, youth and community organizations, and area businesses can all help make a difference for their neighbors who experience hunger or the threat of hunger. Nothing beats the taste and nutrition of fresh-picked vegetables. Growing and eating from your own garden can improve your health, save you money, increase your
sustainability, and decrease your carbon footprint. And most important, your garden can help a lot of people in need. as an individual, YOU can Make a Difference:

• Plant or glean vegetables, fruit, herbs or flowers. 
• Deliver the harvest to a food agency near you. 
• Give a PAR brochure to anyone who could help.

Use the Community Food Network Map to find a food pantry or community garden near you!

Contact the Community Food Network to register your "Row" as a local partner!

Print out this Donation Card to send with your produce to a local food pantry to assist us in tracking donations.  

If you need help with choosing a local food pantry, registering your row, or printing donations cards please contact IccFoodNetwork@gmail.com and we can assist you!

February Meeting Reminder: Think SPRING!

Community Food Network Meeting

Date and Time: February 25th, 2014 at 3:30pm 

Location: H.O. Steele Education Center

North 66 between 57 & 44 (10260 S Sheridan Rd., Fenwick, MI 48834)

Committees

Gardens & Pantry Committee:

• 2014 Survey Available on our Website.
• Growing Patch Garden is hosting an informational meeting on March 8th at 10am at the MSU Extension in Ionia and will be discussing “How to Grow a Weed Free Garden!”
• Feeding Angels Garden: In need of compost
• Higbee Acre Garden: In need of topsoil and chicken fencing
• Ionia ISD Garden: Looking for a volunteer to help plan layout
• H.O. Steel Garden: Looking for volunteers to help build fencing, benches, and tables.

Awareness & Resource Committee:

• Website Updates for 2014
• Review your Garden’s page and submit changes to iccfoodnetwork@gmail.com.
• Ionia EXPO: March 15th at Ionia High School
• Plant A Row Outreach Plan

Educational Committee:

• Outdoor Learning Lab soon to be set up at H.O. Steele Education Center.
• Seed Starting Classes for Global Youth Service Day

The next meeting will be the on March 25th at 3:30 pm at the H.O. Steele Education Center?

Click HERE to download this agenda!

Click HERE to review the notes from January's Meeting!

Remember we will have an Awareness & Resource Committee Meeting and an Educational Committee Meeting taking place prior to the CFN Planning Meeting on Feb 25th starting at 2:30pm!  This is to set the goals for these committees for 2014, so please come and help us decide what needs to be done!

Click HERE to download the PDF for the Growing Patch Garden Awareness Meeting with the Weed Free Gardening Workshop.

Are you planning a 2014 Community Garden?

Are you planning a Community Garden that will be located in Ionia or Montcalm County?  If so, please be sure to register for this year!


For more information visit  http://www.ioniahost.com/garden/

Mid-Michigan Farms & Markets: Healthy and Local! VIDEO

Published on Feb 5, 2014

Much of Mid-Michigan is rural, with many vibrant agribusinesses and farmer markets. Our region enjoys one of the most successful "Agriculture Environmental Assurance" and "Purchase of Development Rights" programs in the state, serving to protect vital farmland and the environment on a permanent basis. Our system of local farmer markets strengthens the connection between families and farmers in all three counties. Enjoy this segment of our video that highlights the importance of sustainable farming practices.

More info

Grow some food. Grow wherever you are.

Grow some food. Grow wherever you are.

Katherine Martinko
Living / Green Food
February 14, 2014
© Growing Cities


“Growing Cities” is a new documentary film about the rise of urban farming in the United States. When Dan Susman and Andrew Monbouquette, two young men from Omaha, Nebraska, become disillusioned with the lack of urban farming projects in their hometown, they strike out on a road trip. They are searching for people who grow their own food, who believe in the tremendous potential of urban farming, and who are changing their communities through growing food.

The filmmakers certainly find what they’re looking for. It’s not surprising that the West coast has many well-established urban farms. In San Francisco, municipal laws are lenient toward urban farmers, even inner-city livestock; and Seattle provides land to anyone willing to farm. Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit boast incredible operations that feed thousands, build community, and offer employment opportunities. New York City boasts impressive rooftop gardens; Boston continues to maintain an original, World War II-era Victory Garden; and farmers in Atlanta and New Orleans are working to make urban spaces green and productive, while training underprivileged youth.

Urban farming is beneficial for many reasons. It can offer much-needed nutritious food to urban dwellers. Many Americans nowadays live in what’s called a “food desert,” where local stores don’t stock fresh produce regularly. In Detroit, for example, 550 000 residents (over half the city’s population) don’t have close, reliable access to vegetables and fruit.

Urban farming teaches Americans how to view vacant land in a new light. Wherever there’s space, there’s an opportunity to grow something. Even if you don’t own the land, many landowners are happy to have someone actively improve and beautify their empty lot for free, while benefitting the community. As one Atlanta farmer explains:
“The hugest part of sustainability is having people understand the importance of caring for land, regardless of whether you think you own it or not.”

Urban farming helps secure the national food supply. Americans have done it before, thanks to the tremendous growth of Victory Gardens during the two World Wars. Just a few years after being established, these homegrown gardens provided 40 percent of all produce consumed in the United States. There’s no reason that can’t happen again. Americans possess 35 million acres of lawns that could be productive.

What’s needed is a cultural shift in the perception of agriculture.Farmers need to be raised up in our society, and regarded in a similar way to doctors and engineers. After all, farmers are the most important people in our lives because they are the ones who feed us. And people need to get their hands dirty, to learn about growing food in limited, compromised spaces. You’d be amazed at what’s possible.

Growing Cities Trailer from Growing Cities Movie on Vimeo.

“Growing Cities” is definitely worth watching. It’s inspiring, lighthearted, and educational, and has been very well received at film festivals. You can find alist of screenings here, or learn how to host your own. The film’s website also has lots of helpful information for starting your own urban farming projects.

Food security through collective impact

Working toward collective action and success within the food system allows stakeholder to address complex food access challenges.

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Becky Henne, Michigan State University Extension

inShare

In order to generate long-term solutions to complex social problems like food access or food insecurity, multi-organizational and diverse community collaborations must be present to have lasting results. Shrinking resources and competition for funding all but demand that business as usual be re-evaluated and that collaborative partnerships become essential.

In the winter of 2011, John Kania and Mark Kramer published a paper in the Stanford Social Innovation Review on Collective Impact. They wrote, “large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination”. To achieve this type of coordination they describe the notion of collective impact as the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem. Kania and Kramer share that there are typically five conditions that exist to produce true alignment and meaningful change:

1. Common agenda across organizations – Committing to a shared vision and mutually reinforcing actions brings more collective attention and effort into an initiative.
2. Shared measurement systems – Sharing results on a common platform ensures efforts are aligned, accountable and meaningful.
3. Mutually reinforcing activities that build synergy – Stakeholders do not all have to do the same thing, but instead take on differentiated activities that build on and reinforce the work of each other.
4. Continuous communication – Ongoing dialogue and transparency builds common motivation, common vocabulary and fosters an environment of co-learning.
5. Backbone support organizations that foster the synergy – Having an organization support the collective work through planning and management facilitates focus, synergy and collaboration between sectors.

Access to food is a social problem that many Michigan residents and communities face. One organization trying to solve this may provide temporary relief and an isolated impact. However, the collective impact that could be realized when a group of diverse stakeholders take on mutually-reinforcing activities that build upon one another’s work is farther reaching and more sustainable.

To address food access issues, one should delve into understanding the food system for starters. This system consists of the people, processes and places that interact to move food from the farm to the table. It is often characterized as being comprised of six sectors: growing food, processing, distributing, preparing, retailing and eating. In order to have the greatest potential for powerful solutions that address food access issues, the food system sectors must work collectively alongside the decision-makers, businesses, community groups, educational bodies and entities outside of the food system in order to address the complexities of food access issues.

One of the more prominent tactics addressing food access and insecurity across the nation is through the convening of a food (policy) council. These collective, collaborative bodies are becoming more and more prevalent. In Michigan, almost half of the counties boast some form of a food council. To assist in food council creation Michigan State University Extension staff on the Community Food Service team are available to assist communities with understanding the community food system language and exploring the collective impact framework.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visithttp://www.msue.msu.edu. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Join the School Garden Community

Join the School Garden Community

Co-hosted by edWeb.net, the Edible Schoolyard Project, the National Farm to School Network, and Life Lab

Welcome to the Growing School Gardens Community!

School gardens are a growing initiative to help children understand where their food comes from and how their food choices impact their bodies, the environment, and their communities at large.

A school garden can have an impact on the entire life and educational program of school and the surrounding community.  Gardening activities can be incorporated into nearly every curriculum subject to enhance the appreciation of the natural world, and to provide hands-on learning activities for students.

This online learning community is a place for educators, gardeners, parents, and community volunteers to come together to share information and resources on how to start and maintain a school garden, and integrate it into the curriculum, the life of a school, and the local community.

The community hosts free monthly webinars and live chats with leaders in the field that are highly engaging and interactive. Online discussions provide an easy way to continue the conversation and share ideas and experiences with peers across the country, and around the world.

Upcoming Webinars

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 4pm / Eastern Time
Common Core in the Garden
Presenter: Whitney Cohen, Education Director at Life Lab
Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - 4pm / Eastern Time

Regional Support Models for Sustaining School Gardens
Presenter: John Fisher, Director of Programs and Partnerships at Life Lab, with Park Guthrie, Garden Education Specialist for the Oakland Unified School District in California

Pre-registration is not required for Growing School Gardens community members.
(But you must register as a COMMUNITY MEMBER!)

Join the webinar at the scheduled time with this link:  www.instantpresenter.com/edwebnet11

You'll be automatically emailed a CE certificate for attending a live session.

Be sure to join the Growing School Gardens community:

• Receive invites and reminders to free webinars
• Access the recordings for past webinars
• CE quizzes (to earn your certificate for viewing a past webinar)
• Additional resources and discussions

Preview the webinar "Garden to Plate" presented by Jessica Cuevas, teacher and coordinator of the Margate Schools Garden, and winner of the inaugural New Jersey School Garden of the Year Award.  After viewing, take the CE quiz to earn a certificate for this session.

Join the Growing School Gardens community for invitations to the free webinars, to view the archives and get a CE Certificate for previous programs, and to access the discussions and resources.

One of the pioneers of the school gardening movement is Dorothy Mullen, who is an organic gardener who lives in Princeton NJ.  After the tragedy of 9/11, she wanted to do something positive for the community, so she started a school garden for Riverside Elementary School in Princeton.  The photos in this community are of the garden she created.  Dorothy worked with the teachers at the school to create a garden-based curriculum for grades K-5, correlated to NJ state standards.

Dorothy's Guide to Starting a School Garden  and her Checklist for Starting a School Garden are very helpful guides for anyone who would like to begin.  A copy of these guides and many other very useful articles and lesson plans can be found by visiting the community Resource Library.

Please feel free to join and start discussions on topics related to school gardens.