February Updates

Jack and Joy celebrating the new Little Free Pantry installed at 3304 E. Gordon!

  • Check our website calendar at: www.growingneighbors.org/calendar for upcoming events we’re hosting and those of other great partners. 
  • New community gardens are going in this spring at homes, schools, and churches including Lidgerwood Presbyterian. Want to help start or expand a garden in your neighborhood?
  • Sustainable Food Deliveries are now runnin’ in 7 neighborhoods including East Central with the Martin Luther King Jr. Center! We need your help delivering to your local neighbors, whether you’re up for doing it via bicycle or otherwise. Most volunteers help for about an hour a week to care for neighbors with mobility challenges.
  • Little Free Pantries are getting connected to our delivery routes to make sure they stay well stocked. Also, we’re so glad to be partnering with Jack, Mike, Chris and the folks from the Little Free Pantry Spokane Facebook page! Feel free to share or access food anytime at any of these pantry locations.
  • Community Composting pilot is heatin’ up in the Shadle area. We’re preparing to offer instructions and buckets for neighbors to fill with compostables that will be delivered to our bins at Shadle Church. We need help managing this system and expanding it to other areas. We’ll also be ordering loads of compost from Barr-Tech. Want to host or access a pile in your ‘hood?
  • New Farmers’ Market teams are being formed among neighbors near the Emerson-Garfield, Garland, West Central, Hillyard, and Millwood (and possibly other) markets. Want to share produce, help with neighborhood listening exercises, or volunteer at a booth?
  • As the weather warms up we also plan to host communal meals, food preparation and preservation education, garden tours, etc. Love your help!
  • We’re forming a paid Strategic Planning Team (with a grant from Empire Health Foundation) primarily of BIPOC community members to help us hear the voices of our diverse community and form more equitable plans for community gardening and related food access programs in Spokane. Do you have any recommendations for who could be part of this team? Please let me know by 2/21.

Thank you for your partnership, support, and beautiful acts of treating all of creation more like family. As we continue to grow, we’d love your financial support by donating here.

Shadle Library is “Growing”

Juan Juan and Asraa displaying our new seed starting racks at the Shadle Library!

On Tuesday, February 15, an Indoor Seed Starting program at the Shadle Public Library happened! More great programs with the library are being planned. RSVP to Johnny or just show up for these programs. Some of the seedlings will go home with you and get set to grow for our 40+ garden network and some will stay at the library for the new garden on site. Watch the calendar or talk to Johnny for upcoming dates.

Quick and Composty Update

It has been a great growing season and we have a lot of fun news and events to share with you. Please take a moment to check out this quick and composty list of highlights:

  • Our neighbor Rob with the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market put together this awesome 3 min. video about us: https://www.facebook.com/EGFMarket/videos/564992718138732
  • Our neighbors with the Spokane Conservation District hosted us for a recent episode of their Rocks to Roots Podcast: https://www.rockstoroots.org/listen
  • SCD is hosting the Farm & Food Symposium 11/5-6 and I’ll be speaking on a panel at 1:15 on 11/6. Sign up here: https://www.spokanecd.org
  • Thank you to all of our awesome volunteers and interns. Chan, Nara, and Biruk, it was wonderful working with y’all this summer! We look forward to staying in touch and we’re excited to welcome Nazish, Makena, and other great student leaders this fall and beyond!
  • Our sustainable food deliveries are expanding to the Spokane Valley and Green Acres. Wanna help?
  • Little Free Pantries are going in all around town including at the Korean Presbyterian Church. Want to help build, install, or stock some?
  • Plan your spring garden! We can help you make a plan, form a team, replace lawn, plant garlic or perennials, and get seeds, soil, compost, and wood chips!

Food Delivery via Bicycle

Food Delivery via Bicycle with Noelle and Chan

Food Delivery via Bicycle is rocking now in 3 neighborhoods! Northwest Spokane on Thursdays from 3:00 – 5:30 pm., West Central Spokane on Wednesdays from 4:00-6:30 pm , and the Emerson-Garfield neighborhood on Tuesdays from 10:00 – 12:30 pm. Can you help sort, pack, or deliver (even if you need to use a motor)? Contact John Edmondson if you can help.

Treating Others More Like Family and the Planet More Like Home

“Northwest Harvest partners with incredible organizations that are seeding food justice across Washington. One of those organizations is Growing Neighbors – a Spokane initiative of Shadle Park Presbyterian Church that brings local organizations together to grow food and community and encourage healthier lifestyles.”

This quote was taken from Stories From the Field, a publication of Northwest Harvest. The May 2021 issue features organizations that partner with Northwest Harvest to ensure food equity in Washington State.

Hello Spring, Neighbors!

We’ve been wanting to send out an update for a while, but have struggled to make time amongst all the springyness. Here is a quick & dirty composty list of recent highlights and upcoming awesomeness:

  • We were recently awarded 2 grants from the Presbyterian Mission Agency and United Way Spokane!
  • Watch our presentation (about 8 min. starting at 1:42:32) to the City Council about the new bicycle-powered food delivery and community composting program.
  • Little Free Pantries continue to spread. Check out this recent news article, get in touch if you’d like to help, & check out this map.
  • Gigs4Good would like to help you support us by hiring them to do home improvement projects.
  • Grab a free yard of compost to grow food to share. We got 2 loads of 50 yards delivered to: The Abbey at 1832 W. Dean & New Vision at 3307 W Rowan. A third is planned for The North YMCA within a week!
  • We’re making GN t-shirts with used shirts. Would you like to bring one to be printed for yourself or donate one for someone else?
  • Planting parties each Tu and Th from 3:30-5:30 at our Hub Farmyard at 5508 N. Alberta. Have your own garden? Let us help you plan a weekly planting party!
  • Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop this Tu, 4/6 at 3:30!
  • Seeds, starts, soil, oh my! We have what you need to get a new garden going!
  • School gardens are growing! Some existing projects you can dive in on include Garfield, Salk, Ridgeview, SIA, and more.
  • The Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market starts Fridays in June! Want to volunteer?
  • Weekly, free Outdoor Community Dinners start 4/13 at 5:30. Enjoy a meal, take it to-go, or gather neighbors for a meal in your hood.
  • Easter Egg Hunt (socially distant style) this weekend! Decorate, hunt, or both! Check out the attachment, our map, and the bearded bunny video 🙂
  • Looking for an Easter Sunday worship service? You are welcome to join Shadle Church in person or online at 11 a.m.
  • Master Gardener Plant Sale online ordering starts 4/24. Great plants, great cause!
  • Find these great events, training ops, & more on our calendar.

Thanks for your wonderful support and partnership. As always, we’d love your help growing and sharing healthy food and relationships by donating here. Also, ask us how to adopt a row, physically or financially!

Peace,

Johnny and your Growing Neighbors Family 🙂