*|MC:Fresh Food Connect | Apr22|*
Hello!

I’m Naomi, the new Marketing Director here at Fresh Food Connect. I’m so thrilled to join all of you in the movement to connect individual gardeners to those impacted by food insecurity in our communities.

April is such an exciting time for gardeners. With springtime upon us, we’re finally getting our summer gardens started, with visions of the bumper crops of fresh, sun-ripened fruits and veggies to come! It’s also a time when we appreciate nature waking up around us, and re-double our resolve to be good to our planet and the people with whom we share it. 

April 22 is Earth Day, and while we care for our planet every day, I hope you’ll join me in taking a moment to reflect on how growing our own food keeps us connected to our Earth, and sharing it connects us to the people around us. 

Happy Planting!

- Naomi 

ps - Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, ideas, or inspirations, or just to say hello! I’m at naomi@freshfoodconnect.org. 

CHECK OUT OUR NEW VIDEO!
Denver Food Rescue, Denver Urban Gardens and Fresh Food Connect partnered with the Whittier School Community Garden to document the impact of their partnership and mission to share homegrown produce within our communities, giving excess to those in need. See how small donations from local gardens can make an impact our own communities. 

GARDENER HIGHLIGHT 
A photo of gardeners Melanie and Jay

This month, we caught up with Melanie & Jay, who shared their secret gardening tips, and why they choose to support Fresh Food Connect.

1. How long have you been gardening? 
  • We started out with a small, inside herb garden eight years ago but our current backyard garden is going on its fourth season.

2. What is your favorite thing to grow in your garden? 
  • Potatoes! Harvesting them is like mining for gold or buried treasure. We also love growing a variety of tomatoes and comparing their different tastes and characteristics. 

3. Do you have a secret gardening tip you'd be willing to share? 
  • Try a couple of experiments every season. You could find a new crop or vegetable variety that works well in your garden or tastes delicious!
  • We also recommend keeping track of as much data as possible in a spreadsheet. We have a multi-tab sheet where we track when to start seeds and move transplants, as well as success ratios for each seed/plant and garden layouts/diagrams. Each week we log notes about what's happening in the garden --- it makes it easy to reference back each year when you planted something, first harvest, and any issues you encountered.

4. Why do you choose to support Fresh Food Connect? 
  • Eating a locally sourced, plant-based diet is ideal for your health, your community and the Earth. But let's face it --- it isn't always affordable or accessible. Fresh Food Connect helps us strengthen our community, and support our planet by providing local, organic produce to our neighbors.

5. Anything else you'd like to share with the Fresh Food Connect community? 
  • I also volunteer as a Fresh Food Connect courier, and lots of gardeners ask me if there is a minimum to how much they can donate. I always tell them there is no minimum --- it doesn't matter if you have three extra tomatoes or 30, your community can benefit from any extra produce you have. Plus, it means those three tomatoes won't go to waste!
A picture of Melanie and Jay's garden
 
Here's a peek at Melanie and Jay's awesome garden!

Melanie and Jay garden in Longmont, CO and share their backyard bounty through Longmont Food Rescue.

Would you like to share your story? Contact us!

FRESH IDEAS FROM
CSU EXTENSION

It's time to plant your cool season crops! Curious about planting perennials?
 CSU Master Gardener Coordinator Cassey Anderson shares her spring gardening tips here!

OPERATOR HIGHLIGHT 

Access to Excess - Dayton, OH
 

A photo of an Access to Excess Produce StandAccess to Excess rescues wholesome food before it goes bad and makes it available to people with little or no access to healthy options. Their produce comes from lots of places like grocery stores, farms, home-growers, and other non-profits. 

Access to Excess operates free produce stands to spread the love to REGULAR people WITHOUT regular access to produce, including marginalized communities or neighborhoods within food deserts - so that access to produce can be easy for everyone. 

Learn more about their efforts here!
The Garden Works Project - West Chicago, IL
 

A photo from The GardenWorks ProjectThe mission of The GardenWorks Project is to promote organic suburban agriculture to improve the well-being of their community, the environment, and those facing food insecurity.

The GardenWorks Project empowers, educates, and supports all food growers in their efforts to nourish their families and neighbors in need.

Learn more about them here!

INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN OPERATOR?
Curious about becoming a Fresh Food Connect Operator, but missed our March information session? 

Fill out our Interest Form here to connect with us!

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