Plant A Row For The Hungry

I just heard back from Yvonne Savio, here is the email she sent me...

Hi, Katie –

Wonderful!

Our program doesn’t deal directly with connecting gardeners and food banks, but a great number of interested people are on my “Community Gardening and Food Security” elist. I’ll forward your offer to the elist and to our Master Gardeners. Anyone who knows of local connections will contact you directly.

You might also check with the Pasadena city offices to find out who you can contact locally. I know that the Union Station kitchen usually makes arrangements only with consistent quantity providers.

Please alert your gardening club members of our website and all its great information.

I grew up and again live in Pasadena – in my childhood home and garden! For several years I wrote the gardening column for the Pasadena Star-News.

If any members are interested in community gardening or school gardening, they might like to join either or both of my elists of our program priorities:
1. Community Gardening and Food Security
2. School Gardening
The welcome email of initial resources contains information on our annual Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program, which focuses on helping low-income county residents to grow and eat more nutritious vegetables.

Ciao for now.

Yvonne Savio
Common Ground Garden Program Manager
University of California Cooperative Extension, Los Angeles County
PO Box 22255
4800 E. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90022
Phone: 323-260-3407
Fax: 323-881-0067
Email: ydsavio@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/Common_Ground_Garden_Program/
Master Gardener Email Gardening helpline: mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu
Master Gardener Phone Gardening helpline: 323-260-3238

2007 Lifetime Achievement Award, Los Angeles Community Garden Council
2007 Certificate of Commendation, Los Angeles Unified School District
2006 Certificate of Appreciation, City of Los Angeles
2004 "Feeding the Hungry" Garden Crusader Award, Gardener's Supply Company

Since 1978, the Common Ground Garden program has helped Los Angeles County residents to garden, grow their own food, and healthfully prepare it. Our targeted audience and priority are to serve limited-resource residents and those traditionally underrepresented. By training community volunteers, we empower neighborhoods to create their own solutions. Our Master Gardener volunteers work primarily with community gardens, school gardens, seniors, and homeless and battered women's shelters.

In 2008, 181 Master Gardeners volunteered 9,272 hours serving 87,376 low-income gardeners in Los Angeles County at 28 community gardens, 46 school gardens, 15 shelter gardens, 5 senior gardens, and 13 fairs and farmers markets.

I will let you know when I find a food bank for us to donate to. You can also check out www.gardenwriters.org for more information.