10,000 Greens Project The goal of the 10,000 Greens Project is to educate people about good nutrition and grow leafy greens in residential yards, coordinated in collaboration with a responsible entity, such as a church or organization. In a revival of the pre-WWII tradition of Victory gardens, in partnership with community-based, not-for-profit groups and churches, SUAC volunteers will distribute seedlings that are easy to grow and familiar: collards and mustard greens in the fall, okra, Okinawa spinach and sweet potatoes in summer. The program will demonstrate the ease of growing vegetables at home to improve healthy nutrition, provide economic resilience and stimulate physical activity. Backyard gardening is educational and entertaining, promotes community building and trans-generational interaction. Seedlings will be raised in half gallon containers at the Faith House Garden (310 15th Street N), one of St Pete’s oldest transitional housing and recovery facilities, by residents and volunteers. Vegetables will be raised until 3 inches tall before transfer to organizations or churches. Under volunteer guidance, children and the potential recipients will do the transplant the seedlings into one gallon pots and be responsible for watering and caring for them for 3 weeks, in a designated area of the school or church. This phase will teach proper care for the 6-9 month production phase at their homes. Volunteers and participants will then install the plants in their yards. Each participant will receive printed care, watering and harvest instructions. Recipients will be encouraged to expand their backyard plot and vegetable varieties. This will greatly impact the community, promoting home gardens and serving as a model for more gardens, leveraging the project’s long term impact. In its initial stage, it will impact 3,000 individuals directly, residents who will receive seedlings for their gardens, instructions and assistance from SUAC volunteers. The Project is in its second year, following a startup in late 2012. It is led by Emmanuel Roux and Bill Bilodeau, through their Faith House Garden. They are currently on schedule preparing for a prosperous 2003-14 season. As part of the first year’s efforts, seedlings were planted at the Starling Nursery School Garden, which is thriving. The children and administrators at Starling have worked with SUAC volunteers to prepare the plots for a fall garden. Contact Bill Bilodeau at bbilodeau40@gmail for further information.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 11:42:17 +0000
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