Summer 2009 Highlights

• Our May Celebration,announcing our new name, mission and great award from GreatNonProfits was a hugh success. Our CommunityGrows board joined us with YMCA folks and Val Brown from Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi’s office. Also our wonderful long-time friend, Sissy Geballe and her grandson Dan and his wife Linda joined us. A terrific day!

• First ever Movie Night in the Koshland Garden: 5/30/09 presented by Pamela Jean Smith, a neighbor who works at the Pacific Film Archives. At 9:00 PM thirty-five people braved a cool summer night to watch old films from the archives on gardening and growing food. The garden performance stage held the screen and a projector shot the reels provided. Nora and Barbara served hot cider to everyone, including two police officers who came to watch from the Northern Station. A great night was had by all!

• The challenging new for June was that our Programs Manager, Nora Brereton had a hiking accident in Big Sur which landed her in the hospital for three months with broken bones and internal injuries. Being the young, strong and determined person that she is, she recovered fully and was back to work with the start of the Fall 2009 school year. WELCOME BACK NORA!

• Corrine Law, a graduate of the Get-Up Program from the Garden for the Environment, joined us during the summer to turn our compost. She became the Compost Queen and everyone was in awe of her.

• Summer Programs began in June, first with the LetUsGrow Summer Camp. We had a terrific intern from Global Exchange, Luz Gomez,

who lead the program with the assistance of Markos Major, garden educator.

Breakfast every morning at Kate’s Kitchen on Haight Street:

Growing beautiful carrots:

Going to Green Gulch Farm:

Working at the Civic Center Farmers Market:

• Our Seed-to-Mouth Cooking classes started in June every Wednesday from 3:30-5:30 PM in Hayes Valley South Community Room. Our leader was Ms. Saewon Oh, a former teacher’s aide at John Muir School this past year.

Every week at least 20 youth and their families harvested produce from the garden and made delicious meals together, including Stone Soup, Mexican and Italian dishes, and strawberry jam. Umm!