Holy frijole! (Since “frijole” means bean in Spanish, this is an entirely appropriate pun.)
Response to our fledgling Victory Gardens Against Hunger campaign has been overwhelming.
Thank you all so much for your interest!
In case you missed it, the Victory Gardens Against Hunger campaign is our new philanthropic effort here at the BBJ, done in conjunction with the great folks down at the Bellingham Food Bank.
The premise is simple, and starts with a historical reference: during World War II, the government asked all citizens to convert a portion of their lawn from recreational use to subsistence use; in other words, turn it simply from a place to play to a place where each family would grow their own food.
The idea was that every bean, every ear of corn, every potato a family could grow on its own would lessen the drain on the country’s own farming infrastructure, freeing it up to produce for the war effort.
The idea here is similar.
We’re asking you convert a portion of your lawn to vegetable production, or, if you already grow veggies, to grow a little more.
Then, at harvest time, bring your surplus or whatever you can down to the Food Bank for weighing and distribution to the area’s needy.
We’ve set what we think is a very reachable goal for the first year of the program: 10,000 pounds of fresh produce.
That’s just 1,000 gardeners out there growing 10 pounds over the course of one growing season. Heck, that’s just a couple of squash each!
Every month, we’ll run our Victory Gardens page, with suggestions for crops to sow at that time of year, facts about the Food Bank, and an update on harvest poundage brought in to date, as well a list of folks we’ve learned are contributing to the effort. We’ve already heard from a number of church groups that will be joining in, and are thrilled to hear the Boys & Girls Club on Kentucky Street will be growing vegetables solely for the purpose of contributing them to the Food Bank.
Bellingham Unit Director Joe Ingoglia said starting the garden would be a great way for the kids at the club to repay the Food Bank, which supplies quite a bit of the food and drink the club uses at snack time.
We agree!
Did you know that more than 15 percent of Bellingham residents use the Food Bank? If 15 percent of the rest of grew just a little bit extra, the amount of difference we could make would be incredible. Start planning your garden today – spring is here!