Garden Party

Sarah Barrow told her mom that she wanted to have a Senior Party that would help others.  When her mom, Marcia finally suggested a Garden Party at MadCAAP's Helping Hands Garden of HOPE, Sarah was thrilled! Thank you Sarah for your compassionate heart!

These young ladies picked 92 pounds of squash and tied up 300 tomato plants!

Time to enjoy a delicious Salad Supper!

Good Friday in the Garden

As a group of MadCAAP Volunteers, Clients and Staff labored to prepare a garden plot for the planting of sweet potatoes, complete the pavilion and tend the newly sprouted plants, there was a spirit of shared vision.   The garden was filled with laughter, strained muscles and a shared desire to make a difference in the lives & diets of the poor in Madison County. This physical labor on Good Friday seemed to be our way of putting hearts, hands and feet to Jesus' command to "Love One Another", though no one made that connection out loud.  

There numerous opportunities to serve God and make a difference...you and I simply need to be aware and willing.

GARDENERS OF ALL AGES

What a great day of service with these families and friends from Highlands Presbyterian Church. Some planted tomato & pepper plants while others planted squash seeds and still others worked on the irrigation system...and EvErYoNe tromped through the mud! 

   

    

 

"At the end of the day in Spring, you should smell of dirt!"

....and we did!

THANKS HIGHLANDS!

A Quick Glance At Our New Garden

It's 9:00 p.m. on Saturday evening and I am beat!

Harold, Johnny and I spent a great afternoon in the garden with two hard-working groups of garden volunteers and a father and son irrigation team from Highlands Presbyterian Church.  The first to arrive was a group of Sophomore SGA volunteers from Madison Central High School and shortly after that the Leadership Madison volunteers appeared on the scene.  Over 300 tomato plants were tucked neatly into raised beds and mulched; then it was on to putting down landscape fabric fand mulch between the beds.  This crew worked about 2 1/2 hours with amazing success and great camaraderie.  Now we wait and allow Mother Nature to work her magic as seeds sprout, plants grow and eventually hungry people are fed.

Team Work and Laughter Filled the Afternoon.

 Madison Central Sophomore SGA Volunteers

 Leadership Madison County Volunteers

WHAT A PRODUCTIVE DAY IN THE GARDEN!

THANK YOU!

Changes, Indeed!

Lots has changed since my last garden post...and I'll not even mention how long ago that was!

The Helping Hands Garden has been relocated, expanded and renamed, well sorta renamed.

The original garden site was sold and our search began.  What seemed like an overwhelming reality at first is becoming a blessing in disguise.  A very generous Master Gardener came to our rescue with the offer of a garden site on her property and the rest is quickly becoming history.  Black Kow once again donated manure and grants from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of MS and Wal-mart, have insured that the project funds are available.

LOTS of hard work dismantling, relocating and reassembling the raised beds and  fencing in sub-freezing temps of this fall and winter has been accomplished by MadCAAP's Housing Director, John Robison and his dynamic duo of retirees.  Several church groups have assisted in this process and now there are 40-plus raised beds, filled with soil, etc. and some are even been planted with collards by Harold Waldrop and his garden helpers.  The garden is fenced and we have an adorable new garden shed, constructed of recycled materials. TA, DA!

 As the weather warms, more planting will occur. 

Women's Ministry of Highlands Presbyterian

On Sunday March 25, Karen and I had the opportunity to attend the Spring gathering of the Women's Ministry of Highlands Presbyterian Church.  Highlands is one of MadCAAP's faithful partners and so we were thrilled to attend and share MadCAAP's story while enjoying a delicious meal, hearing an inspiring speaker and seeing amazing floral arrangements materialize before our very eyes.  Since their theme centered around "Planting the Seeds of the Lord",  the evening culminated with plans for the group to work in the Helping Hands Garden on Saturday, March 31.  

...and work they did!!!

Girls from elementary age on up "shoveled, weeded, planted, staked and tied" with such a spirit of joy and determination.  I don't know if I've ever seen a group of volunteers accomplish as much as this charming group.  There were absolutely no slackers!  They kept Harold and myself busy with their, "What do we do next questions?"  Saturday morning was just a fabulous time of hard work and muddy fun!  We look forward to working with this group again.  

  SHOVELING & HAULING DIRT

   

WEEDING

TYING AND STAKING TOMATO PLANTS

 

 

 THANKS, HIGHLANDS FOR YOUR "HELPING HANDS"!

Green and Growing - March 2012

Helping Hands Garden is Green and Growing!

Just have to share few pictures that I took this morning (March 16, 2012) at the garden.  Harold and two of his client volunteers were preparing beds and planting more potatoes and tomatoes while Johnny, my wonderful husband, tilled up the area that will grow the watermelons, cantaloupes and other assorted veggies.  I must say that the garden looks great...thanks to Cliff and Carole for mowing the area on Tuesday.  The days are becoming warmer and the garden is popping with excitement.  Come join the fun!

What kind of peppers???

Our potatoes are growing!

                                                             

 

 

The Garden: Year's End 2011

Whenever I pause to think about the Helping Hands Garden, the first words that come to mind are from the nursery rhyme, 

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,

     How does your garden grow?"

...and I must confess, I have many times considered rewriting this childhood rhyme to reflect the harvest of our garden; but today will not be the day that I successfully complete that rhyming task.

I must say that MadCAAP's premier gardening project has exceeded my wildest dreams even though I have to confess being overwhelmed during the early months as our small group of gardeners planned and built beds, ordered and hauled dirt, gin trash and Black Cow manure; filled our first round of raised bed; planted seeds and seedlings, tried to stay ahead of the voracious weeds and began the process of watering and harvesting.  The success of our Helping Hands Garden is the result of many dirty, blistered hands, sweat-drenched brows and aching muscles.

There were many individuals and groups whose brains and brawn helped to make this garden dream a reality. 

Broadmoor Baptist, Wisconsin Volunteers, St. Matthew's UMC, St. Joseph Catholic Youth,

Youth Group from Louisiana, Wal-Mart Regional and HR Managers, MadCAAP Clients

Carole & Cliff Mains, Daniel Logan, Dorothy Chadwick, Sheila Crowder, Vicky Edwards, Vicky Farlow, Rebecca Coody-Cobb, Johnny Miller, John Robison, Gary Anderson, Kermit Harness.

Josh Miller created our garden logo.  First United Methodist Church in Canton shared the land for the garden and the majority of our expenses were funded through a grant from MS Foodnetwork by way of BCBS Foundation.

Southern Homes and Garden Supply of Canton, DeViney Rental, Gardenworks, Black Kow,
Madison County Co-Op, Rivers Plant Farm, Barnett-Phillips, USDA and Wal-Mart provided donations of materials, plants and machinery.


Then there is one fellow who just knows how to "grow stuff" and without whom this project would not have been such an amazing success...my dear messy friend, Harold Waldrop.  I learned lots from you in 2011 and I'm looking forward to being a more productive gardener in the new year with you as my green thumb mentor.  THANK YOU, SIR!!!


So,  in answer to the question posed by the Mother Goose rhyme...

The Helping Hands Garden has grown, harvested and distributed over 12,000 pounds of produce at this point...

...And as of 4:15 today, we are still growing a variety of greens and onions as December 2011 draws to a close!

LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EACH OF YOU, AGAIN, IN THE NEW YEAR!