Guest guest Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 > > > >> >> >> Vote for White House gardener ... >> >> >> >> I know Carrie Little, a fantastic woman from Orting, WA who has >> been nominated to be the White House gardener. She is a solid gal >> who is committed to organic foods, and building community self- >> reliance. >> >> >> >> Please consider voting for her.http://www.whitehousefarmer.com/ <http://www.whitehousefarmer.com/ >> > >> >> > > Below is a piece I wrote about her and Mother Earth Farm in the > Dispatch last year. > > ______________________________\ ___________ > > Mother Earth Farm grows produce for Eatonville and Graham Foodbanks > > > > > In a noteworthy blend of environmental stewardship and social > activism, the fresh produce given to the nearly 1,000 families who > use the food banks of Eatonville and Graham is grown locally at > Mother Earth Farm in Orting. The farm, a non-descript eight-acre > patch tucked behind Christmas tree farms and suburban developments > along SR 162, nevertheless has become a gemstone of healthy > agricultural practices capable of fantastic levels of food > production. > > > > In 2007, Mother Earth Farm delivered 170,000 pounds of fresh > produce to 26 food banks in Pierce County, including the massive > Graham-South Hill food bank and a smaller operation in Eatonville. > > > > “Most of what we grow are green vegetables,” said Carrie Little, > manager of Mother Earth Farm. “Half are lettuces and salad greens, > the other half are veggies for cooking, such as kales, cabbage and > collard greens.” > > > > Mother Earth grows exclusively for the food banks of Pierce > County, and provides virtually all of the fresh green produce in > the system, thus playing a critical role in offering nutritional > balance to the hungry. > > > > Mother Earth Farm was born in 2000 through the efforts of the > Emergency Food Network, the lead agency in delivering food to the > needy in Pierce County, and Doreen Johnson, the former owner of > the land and a long-time environmental activist. EFN now owns the > land through an agreement with the Pierce County Conservation > District, which procured the funds via federal salmon restoration > funding. > > > > Historically, area food banks have been relatively well-supplied > with Washington’s top three crops: potatoes, onions and apples; > and the acute need for fresh produce led Johnson and EFN to join > forces. After creating the organizational structure needed to > support large scale food production, they invited Little, a Hilltop > community activist and promoter of urban agriculture, to run the > farm. Their joint venture has been so successful the County has > just offered them the use of another 20 acre parcel in Orting. > > > > Many more volunteers and increased funding will be needed to run > the newly expanded operations. Little sees expanding the scope of > the operation to include road-side farm stands, and establishing > Community Supported Agricultural grants whereby individuals can buy > shares of the crop and get weekly deliveries of whatever is in > season. This way, the farm can raise cash and more people can > receive fresh organic produce. > > > > Currently, Mother Earth Farm requires the services of 800 volunteers. > > > > “My best workers are the crews who come from the women’s prison in > Purdy,” said Little. “They are out here every Monday through > Thursday, working ten hour days.” > > > > Little offers her personal observation that the 45 inmates who > cycle through the farm in the course of the growing season have > recidivism rates much lower that the general inmate population. > > > > “The real purpose of these farms is to connect people to their > food,” said Little. “Then they get better connected to the land, > their lives and each other. We see these kinds of expanded > positive effects with the women from Purdy. There are many more > benefits here than just growing food.” > > > > > MORE: > > > > Vote on 1st Farmer/Farmer in Chief > > > > Wow, check out this link and click on Carrie Anne Little and then > go back to left menu and click on " vote " . she is leading the pack > with only one other coming in behind. > > > > I remember this woman when I lived in WA and visited her gardens in > Tacoma. > > > > Please go to the website where you can read her story if you want > and then cast your vote for her. This would be a wonderful > opportunity to place someone at the White House that is very well > versed in Organic Gardening and she would be a great asset. > > Love, blessings & peace, Suzy > > Below is a link to a page that describes how Obama is putting a > vegetable garden at the White House. A local woman is currently in > 1st place to become the White House Gardener. > > > > She started a farm in Orting and gives all the food to Pierce > County foodbanks. She is a wonderful woman and if you would like to > support a local gardener and good samaritan, please go to the link, > click on " Vote " and vote for Carrie Anne Little. > http://www.whitehousefarmer.com/ <http://www.whitehousefarmer.com/> > > A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy > steps! <http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://\ www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=Decemailfoo\ terNO62 > > > > > ------ End of Forwarded Message Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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