We hope you had a wonderful holiday with family, friends, and fireworks! Our team was hard at work during the month of June and our donations certainly reflect it. This month we’re adding a statistic to reflect the contributions of product that we receive as well:
- Contributions (Product) Received – $5676 (from Epworth Food Rescue, CRC, Lewes Community Garden)
- Dry Goods & Produce Distributed – $6235
- Meals – 1443
We feel that these numbers more accurately show where our donations and meal deliveries are coming from and where they are going to. In addition to the incredible amount of dry and boxed goods we receive and process, 1443 meals delivered this month is an astounding number. We would like to thank all of our volunteers as well as the Delaware Community Foundation for the Kitchen expansion grant which has allowed us to move more volume and with more efficiency.
As our organization has grown, we want to share with you our process of receiving goods, cooking, delivering, and cultivating with you below. Of course none of it would be possible without your time and donations. Thank you!
Community Spotlight
Lewes Community Garden
The Lewes Community Garden’s mission is to provide a sustainable organic community garden in the greater Lewes area where gardeners can share knowledge, experience, and friendship. Longtime partners of ours, the LCG is an integral part of the TAPTF Society’s Circle of Giving! The produce we receive during the growing season goes directly into our meal creations. In 2022, they generated over 450 lbs of fresh, organic produce which they shared with the larger community by donating to local food pantries, resource centers, and…us! We couldn’t do it without their help. If you would like to learn organic gardening practices from those who know it best by sponsoring a bed, visit their website here. Additionally, they are always looking for volunteers to maintain the native plants and pollinator garden, and if you wish to support them from afar, donations are always welcome. A wonderful place to get your hands dirty.
It’s Good For You…
…and for them.
School gardening is gaining popularity as an intervention for healthier eating and increased physical activity. A garden can be an interactive playground for kids that will engage all their senses. And even to adults, fruits and vegetables that you grow yourself just taste better, and that goes for toddlers too. Involving a child in gardening allows them to experience the joy of consistent hard work with a nourishing pay off. It can help them tune their fine motor skills in a low risk environment, pushing around dirt and learning how to be gentle with tendrils and roots. Ultimately, gardening allows children to develop a proactive and healthy routine early in life.
As adults, perhaps we have grown to think of gardening as a chore. Something we do to achieve a result. The weeding, the watering, the dirt, the heat. But perhaps your garden just needs a little more whimsy to remind you of the truly magical place that it is. So let’s approach our gardening with a little more fantasy and release the child gardener within!
Grow the fun things! Yes tomatoes and squash are fun, but sunflowers can make anyone smile. Unique flowers are such a treat with beautiful colors and shapes. Not everything in the garden has to be edible, and the bees will certainly enjoy the bright and interesting colors. Woolly Lamb’s Ear is another interesting plant as well, if you prefer to touch your leafy greens.
Growing makes people of all ages feel capable. And confidence is crucial to all our wellbeing. Working in the garden for just 30 minutes a day can reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body significantly and it has been shown to improve memory and cognitive abilities. The earlier in life we can instill the many gifts of gardening, the better.
So get outside, touch grass, dig dirt, and smile in the sun with someone you love, your inner child will thank you!
If you would like to learn more about volunteer gardening and how it is essential to our mission, simply visit our Volunteer Opportunities page and we will help you find your own little plot of dirt.
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