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June 2009 Newsletter
This is The Dinner Garden's first of many newsletters. We hope you enjoy it! Please forward it to everyone you know! We are approaching the fall planting
season, so if you are in need of additional seeds, please contact us! We would also love to hear from you about how your summer gardens have produced.
Since beginning our mission in early 2009, we have provided seeds to almost 5000 families, including numerous community gardens! We have reached into 36 states, from Maine to California
and Texas to Wisconsin! As of three days ago, We received our first seed request from Hawaii! If you want to know more about how we work, or want to start a program using The Dinner Garden model check out The Big Idea.
Our Mission
The Dinner Garden provides seeds, gardening supplies, and gardening advice free of charge to all people in the
United States of America. We assist those in need in establishing food security for their families. Our goal is for people to plant home, neighborhood, and
container gardens so they can use the vegetables they grow for food and income.
Food for Kids Program
The Dinner Garden is partnering with www.ricedepot.org to provide seeds to the 25,000 Arkansas
school children who only eat when school is in session. It is hard to believe that in this great country, we have so many children going without food.
Ricedepot.org provides students with backpacks full of food, so they will have something to eat on weekends and when school is on break.
The Dinner Garden will be providing seed packs to be included in these backpacks. Our goal is that the children and their families will grow fruit and vegetables so they have
greater food security. Families work better when no one is hungry. We will need a lot of funding to make this project a reality. Please donate to help us
feed these children. We need donations of money, seeds, plastic bags, printing, and paper. You can make a secure donation through paypal right now by
clicking on the donate button below. The link will take you to our donation page.
Our Needs
- Postage. Our most basic belief is that we do not charge for any seeds or supplies. Many of our gardeners cannot afford the price of a stamp, and we do
not ask anyone to justify their need. We try to keep our postage costs as low as possible, and setting up distribution sites has helped us accomplish this
goal. However, there will always be people who will need seeds mailed to them. We also need postage to mail the seeds to our distribution sites. This makes
postage our number one expense.
- Seeds. We can make one pack of seeds go a long way. We divide up seed packs into smaller batches, so no seed goes to waste. We understand the true value of
what one tiny seed can produce. We always need donated seeds. They can be ordered in bulk, picked up at the local grocery, or saved from fruit you have at
your house. We aren’t picky and appreciate all donations!
- Introductions. The Dinner Garden needs to be introduced to the right people. Do you know an elected official, store owner, farmer, church official,
blogger, homeschooler, reporter, club member, or business person who you think can help us get the funding we need or help us spread the word about The
Dinner Garden? Do you know a gardener who can save seeds or someone who is struggling and could use some seeds? Do you know someone who has been
interested in starting a community garden? Introduce us!
- Good ideas. We welcome your ideas. The Dinner Garden is truly a group effort, and we approach everything with an attitude of “How can we make this work?”
Some of our most successful endeavors have come from our friends and supporters. You can email Holly with your ideas at holly@dinnergarden.org.
Helpful Websites
The Dinner Garden is thrilled to be partnering with the innovative folks at www.worldfoodgarden.org!
We encourage you to check out their website! You will find many useful features that will help your garden flourish!
- Free info to help get your garden growing.
- Learn what grows in your location and when to plant it.
- Follow the "Get Started Gardening" tutorial online.
- Find a real garden mentor near you!
World Food Garden has sent us their business cards to include in our seed packs to help our gardeners get started and get connected to other gardeners
around the world.
If your Dinner Garden is growing in containers, please check out our friends at www.patiofarmersguild.com.
The Patio Farmers Guild website is devoted to supporting container gardeners and proving that even people with limited space can garden.
If you or someone you know wants to garden, but has absolutely no space check out this cool site.
This is a great blog about gardening in difficult conditions. You will be amazed at their innovative container gardens!
Downloads
Did you download your Dinner Garden sign yet? We have a bunch of Victory Garden type signs available on our website to show your neighborhood that you are
growing a Dinner Garden. On our downloads page, you will also find a coloring page of gardening instructions drawn by renowned artist, Darla Dixon,
and a few puzzles for fun!
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Donate Today!
Make a donation with paypal or send your donation by mail to The Dinner Garden, P.O. Box 700686, San Antonio, Texas 78270-0686.
Volunteers
The Dinner Garden needs your help! We are a rapidly growing organization and can use all the help we can get. If you live in the San Antonio area, we would
love to have your help in bagging up seeds. This is a great opportunity for friends and families to volunteer together. The best part is, you can
volunteer from home!
If you live anywhere in the USA, The Dinner Garden also needs promotional videos to raise our profile in the country and to spread the word about ending
hunger through gardening. We would love some instructional videos about gardening or cooking. If you enjoy making videos or know someone who does, send Holly
an email at holly@dinnergarden.org.
We are looking for guest bloggers and article writers who can help out our gardeners with information. Want to host seed and donation drives? We are
trying to provide seeds for 25,000 kids in Arkansas, so we need all the help we can get!
We also need seeds! Do you have a garden and save seeds? If you have a great piece of fruit or a delicious vegetable, please save the seeds and send them
our way. We will make sure they go to good homes!
Prayer, meditation, and good wishes on behalf of The Dinner Garden and our gardeners are always appreciated too!
Recipe from Chef Mayet
Chef Mayet Cristobal has graciously donated some wonderful recipes to The Dinner Garden!
Green Gazpacho
- 2 each English cucumber
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 2 each green bell pepper
- 1 bunch green onions washed very well
- 1 bunch Cilantro washed very well
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 4-5 tbsp good olive oil
- 1 tsp toasted cumin
- Dash of cayenne
- Salt and pepper
Chop all of the ingredients, a rouch chop will do. Everything is going into the blender and will be pureed and strained. The key to this soup's success is
extremely fresh ingredients.
You can see more of her wonderful recipes here.
We love our donors!
The Dinner Garden has been fortunate to receive support from these businesses: Nelson Plant Food,
Chitwood and Fairbairn, P.A., Caldwell Nursery,
Companion Plants, High Country
Gardens, Merrill's Organics, the National Gardening Association, Urban Farmer Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Pinetree Garden Seeds,
Sheffield's Seed Company, Golden Harvest
Organics, and Schulz Nursery.
We are grateful to Sean at www.hirshbergconsulting.com
for designing and maintaining our great website.
We are also grateful to Jodi Sides at www.jodisorganizedchaos.com
for designing our beautiful logo.
We have also received donations of money, postage, gardening supplies, and seeds from individuals who support our mission.
Thank you so much!
Kids' Trivia!
When should you plant your vegetables like beets, mustard greens, cabbage, and parsnips? Check out our Kids Section
for the answer! While there, download a gardening crossword puzzle!
TDG is on Facebook!
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also follow our progress in our blog, www.dinnergarden.blogspot.com. You can stay up to the minute on all the
exciting adventures of The Dinner Garden staff and volunteers!
Meet Holly!
Holly Hirshberg is the Executive Director of The Dinner Garden. Holly is an innovative thinker and social entrepreneur. She has the ability to create
innovative and practical solutions for large, complex, and difficult problems. During her time as a reference librarian for the Chesterfield County Library
System, she managed numerous programs for adults, teens, and children. She is experienced in creating and presenting entertaining, informative, and award
winning training programs. Holly specializes in creating training programs on building positive relationships with clients. She has extensive experience in
delivering media presentations and television and printed interviews. Over the past six years, she has acted as an advocate for numerous families across
the country, specializing in helping parents of special needs and traumatized children. Holly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of William
and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In 2008, Holly realized that when families don't have enough food, they cannot function to their full potential. As a tireless advocate for people in
need, Holly decided to create a program where people could get free seeds and be connected with gardening resources in their community. Thus, The Dinner
Garden was born. Holly's work in getting food into the hands of those in need has seen great results. People are gardening, families have greater food
security, and communities are coming together for a common purpose.
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