Community Food and Garden Network, May 5 2003, Olbrich Gardens, Minutes and Participation List

Hello and thank you for attending!  We had a very good meeting with more personal discussion about the many programs and ideas that are happening with participants.  This network is exceeding our goals with regards to interest and programming in gardening.  One high point was that Focuscorps volunteered to host the next meeting.  This is a great step towards sustainability and member ownership.  It is a pleasure to work with such kind and devoted people!

• 3 delicious fruit pies was graciously donated by Monty’s Blue Plate, thanks for supporting the network!
• Youth Flavor Festival – Rick Brooks and student, Amy Luther, shared with us their success from this event last month with an attendance of over 175 people. They received a grant of $1500 for youth service day to sponsor youth related activities aimed at building community on the south side. It was a free event featuring live music and home cooked food. Total cost was $500. With some of the remaining money, Rick and his students are willing to help sponsor a similar type of event. Contact Rick Brooks if interested.
• Raised Bed Project – Ashleigh and Beth have been working on a project designed to make community gardens more accessible to people with disabilities and physical limitations. A few selected garden sites are Atwood, Truax, St.Paul, Quann, Gammon, and Troy. Some beds have already been constructed and are assigned to gardeners! Thus far, there has been a lot of interest in the community and they are hoping to expand the project and embark on a long-range plan for future accessibility at more garden sites. In order to best serve the community, they are currently in the process of creating a core committee to further help and design raised beds. Anyone interested, or willing to share their expertise should contact Beth or Ashleigh.
• Focus Corp- Focus Corp is helping to create a new SHARE site! Contact them for further information. They have installed a few more raised beds for their clients to use and are hoping to construct a greenhouse for year round gardening. They have kindly offered to host the next meeting.
• Composting Project- Serenity from CAC shared information on CAC’s composting projects. The main goal is really an emphasis on getting waste out of the waste stream. Initially, they will use any excess food from the program. The system will be similar to that of Willy St Co-op. Future plans will hopefully allow CAC to distribute compost to the public. Contact Serenity for more information.
• Access to Independence- they have a lending library including adapted garden tools made for easier gardening. Contact them to check out their other items.
• Promoting the network—there was talk about a benefit concert to raise $ for the Community Food and Garden Network. Some of the $ would be used for the raised bed gardening project. If you have any leads on low cost (free?) musicians or a place to hold it contact Beth or Ashleigh.