August 9, 2023
They say, "The early bird gets the worm!" Thanks to the many harvesters this week, no bears, raccoons, opossums, or nematodes got even one Mini Love watermelon. Yes, you are hearing it here first! Over a ton of fresh produce has been distributed to our neighbors this season. The squash, green beans, tomatoes, ground cherries, green peppers, cucumbers, and jalapeños just keep producing. We have finished gathering the beets. It's worth a "drive by" this week to see the large area beside the hoop house where the collards will be planted. We can always use one more planter on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
We appreciate the time the Prayer Shawl ministries at Nativity and Calvary spend knitting shawls for our neighbors. As the fall approaches, we will begin knitting hats along with the shawls. Another outreach for our neighbors is the collection of school supplies for the children. Some suggested items are: crayons, pencils, glue sticks, notebook paper, magic markers, colored pencils, and pens. Donated items may be left in the Pantry foyer during the week or placed in church food baskets. School Supplies will be distributed from the Pantry on August 26.
Saturday, we welcomed 104 families representing 371 individuals and seven new families. New volunteers on Saturday have the opportunity to work with a "seasoned " volunteer for a bit and then shop with our neighbors. Our neighbors look forward to the time they spend with their pantry friends and volunteers. The neighbor/volunteer shopping model offers weekly connections and is the MANNA Model.
City Bakery donated loaves of freshly baked bread. Other donated items were Flavor-First-tomatoes & peppers, Ingles-bread, Bimbos-snacks and bread, Wal-Mart and Big Lots-misc items and food, Project Dignity-feminine products, Humane Society- dog/cat food and MilkCo-milk. Nativity Lutheran, Fletcher Methodist, Calvary Episcopal, Tabernacle of Praise Churches and other anonymous donors contributed their time, food, and misc. items during the week.
On behalf of the Executive Committee, thank you to our volunteers and our area churches, civic groups, local merchants, and families for all you do to feed our community helping to reduce food insecurity. We thank you and appreciate your food and monetary donations.
News from the Lord’s Acre, Fletcher - Aug. 8, 2023
Thursday evening planting & harvesting
Join us at 6:30 pm (Aug 10) for a final harvest of bush beans in the upper beds. We'll also plant half of our 252 collard plants Thursday evening in the prepped beds and the other half the following Thursday. We will also install the hoops and row cover because of the severe pest pressure on new plants in the late summer.
If you have not joined us yet as part of the Thursday crew, please do. Planting is easy and quite satisfying. No experience is necessary.
Raised beds coming this fall
The twelve beds in the upper part of the garden will be turned into raised beds this fall. We will be building fourteen (two more than current) 20' x 2.5' x 1' wooden beds in October and install them in place with topsoil after the collards are harvested in November.
The beds will help with weed management, ease leaning over in planting, cultivating, and harvesting, and provide soil better suited for root crops. They warm up quicker in spring and discourage compressed soil from foot traffic.
Our construction crews from Calvary, Nativity, and Fletcher Methodist made quick work of the raised beds for the hoop house. But this will be more than twice the task. We will reserve dates and ask for volunteer builders soon.
Gardening is good for your soul, and your attitude.
Your time in the LAF garden is well-spent. You are growing food for others, you enrich your spirits in God's creation, and you get physical exercise. Here's another benefit (from the Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature, by Dr. Sue Stuart-Smith:)
Apart from boosting mood through exercise and smell, digging in the garden may help regulate serotonin [a hormone that can affect sense of well-being] through directing the action of other bacteria in the soil. About ten years ago, the neuroscientist Christopher Lowry discovered that small amounts of a bacterium commonly found in soil can boost serotonin levels and help regulate the immune system. Mycobacterium vaccae thrives in ground that has been enriched through manure and composting, and when weeding and digging the earth, we inhale and ingest it.
See? Gardening is good for you: body, soul, and mind.
