 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home Find your county office Publications About us News Events Programs Partners & other resources UMaine |
|
Master
Gardener Volunteers News
Even the Federal
Government Thinks Master Gardeners are Wonderful! USDA Master Gardeners Available to Help Americans Grow Safe, Healthy Food Throughout the Country USDA Offers Free On-the-Ground Resources for First-Time Growers WASHINGTON, July 9, 2009 -- Looking for some free gardening advice? Has your well-intentioned "green thumb" resulted in your garden looking a little brown? USDA has a cadre of volunteers who provide free gardening tips and have a wealth of science-based research to answer your questions. Trained by USDA's Cooperative Extension Service, Master Gardeners provide information in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. To find a local Master Gardeners, visit www.extension.org/pges/Extension_Master_Gardener. "Master Gardeners are a valuable resource for people who want to get some tips on gardening and growing their own food from a read expert," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Growing fruits and vegetables in your own garden not only promotes a healthier lifestyle, but helps communities develop a safe, nutritious and sustainable source of food."
Master Gardeners can help Americans of all abilities to plant, grow, and harvest a garden, similar to USDA's "People's Garden." Earlier this year, Vilsack launched the 'People's Garden' on USDA property in order to help illustrate the many ways USDA works to provide a sustainable, safe and nutritious food supply as well a protect and preserve the landscape where that food is produced. The Master Gardener program, which began in 1972 in Washington, is another important example of how people can contribute to promoting healthier food and communities. Since its inception, the program has grown to 94,865 volunteers across the country who give horticulture information to the public through a variety of locally-based programs. Volunteers receive 40 to 80 hours of instruction and, in return, give and equal number of volunteer hours during the next year. As the federal partner in the Cooperative Extension Service, USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) provides funding and national leadership to the program. "Extension Master Gardener volunteers are more than just members of local garden clubs," said Bill Hoffman, national program leader and Master Gardener contact at NIFA. "They bring to bear the science base of the land-grant university system in service to their communities, through the training and certification they receive as well as the research-based answers they provide." During 2008, this network of Master Gardeners provided more than 5 million hours of volunteer work in the communities -- valued at $101.4 million. Nearly 80 percent of these 5 million hours take place in metropolitan areas. Additionally, in 2008, more than 16,000 new Master Gardeners joined the program for the first time, infusing the program with new life. Although each community has its own unique projects, all Master Gardeners present workshops, answer gardening hotlines, work with youth, plant demonstration gardens, and teach gardening throughout the country: In Washington, DC: As director of the Washington Youth Garden at USDA's National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., Kalfa Anderson-Hall, who is a Master Gardener herself, spent hours as a child learning about the relationship between food, health and nutrition at the Washington Youth Garden. Never in her wildest imagination did she see herself on staff with the arboretum years later, passing along the same knowledge and skills today's youth. Today, Anderson-Hall relies on volunteers, many of the Master Gardeners, to help. Anderson-Hall said there are 15 Master Gardener volunteers who each provide two to three hours of service per week. "The garden wouldn't be where it is today with out our Master Gardeners," Anderson-Hall said. "There is no way our staff of three could accomplish all we do and be productive. It's incredible -- the number of hours the volunteers provide." Anderson-Hall said volunteers are extremely committed to the garden -- the oldest volunteer, who is 72, has continued to volunteer even as she recovers from back surgery. Master Gardener volunteers maintain the garden, including wedding, planting and redesigns. They also provide hands-on interaction with the students. In Washington, DC, the Master Gardener program is run through the University of the District of Columbia Cooperative Extension Service. Master Garden volunteers help support a wide range of programs in the District of Columbia. Family programs teach organic gardening and cooking, including presentations from nutritionists and chefs, so that families can benefit from the food they grow. A Sprout program works to connect youth to their environment. Seed to Supper is a summer camp where students grow their own food and take it home to their families. The Master Gardeners who volunteer with the camp donate any excess food to the DC Central Kitchen, where the chefs provide a cooking demonstration to camp participants. In 2008, the camp donated 250 pounds of produce to the local food kitchen. In California: Master Gardeners in California are using their knowledge and training to help combat wildfires. Through the University of California system, Master Gardeners provide resources for homeowners who want to 'fireproof' their homes by using less flammable plants, removing combustible materials and properly spacing trees. In Maryland: The Grow It, Eat It program by Master Gardeners in Maryland help people improve their health and save money by growing fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs, using sustainable agricultural practices.
Master Gardening Beyond Maine: What Are Some
Possibilities? Are you interested in using your Master Gardener skills working with people in Central America? If so, or if you just want to learn more about the possibilities please consider attending this informational session.
When: Wednesday, September 30, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The featured speaker will be Florence Reed, president of Sustainable Harvest International, which is based in Surry, Maine (www.sustainableharvest.org). Flo will talk about the organization she founded in 1997 that is based in Central America which focuses on establishing sustainable communities through environmentally sound agricultural practices. Flo will also talk about possible opportunities for Master Gardeners within her organization. In addition to Flo, you will hear from a group of York and Oxford County Master Gardeners who went to Guatemala in February to work with Mayan Villagers on re-establishing backyard gardens and chicken coops. Volunteer Project Spotlight: Plant A Row for the Hungry Why Plant A Row
for the Hungry?
Each year many Master Gardener Volunteers choose to participate in Maine's effort to combat local hunger by volunteering in the Plant A Row For the Hungry project. This program, launched in 1995 works to involve local gardeners and farmers in combating hunger by growing a row of vegetables and donating the harvest to local food pantries and soup kitchens. Since 2000, Maine farmers and gardeners have donated more than 600,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to those with limited access to fresh, local produce. How the Program Works Each participating county runs its Plant A Row program differently. For example, some counties utilize Master Gardener Volunteers help by organizing and harvesting gleaning opportunities from commercial farms, other counties have Master Gardener Volunteers grow and donate entire garden harvests toward the hunger effort while still others grow demonstration gardens and donate the surplus to Plant A Row. Does the Effort Make A Difference? You bet it does! One York County food pantry reported that over 80% of its fresh produce comes from York County Master Gardeners gleaning effort. Soup kitchens from across the state have comer to rely on PAR donations to augment their meal making ingredients. And, many individuals have reported how the produce is so delicious, and appreciated especially during these tough economic times. What Can You Do? One obvious choice is for you to join your county's Master Gardener Volunteers Plant A Row program. However, if the local program's time and location don't fit your schedule, you can always donate any high quality surplus you might get from your own home garden. Next year, dedicate a row to the effort and encourage families and friends to do likewise. It is always helpful to check with your local charities before arriving at the door with a donation. Some food pantries don't have refrigeration so may only be able to accept storage produce like winter squash and potatoes. Others may have limited hours or prefer that the vegetables arrive at a certain time. If you don't know where to donate the fruits and vegetables, ask your Master Gardener program coordinator. Anything More? For reporting purposes to various stakeholders and funders we try to keep a tally of the total number of pounds of produce donated annually. So, please estimate the weight of your donated harvest and report it to your county Master Gardener coordinator. If you have questions about the program, feel free to call or e-mail me at 1-800-287-1482 (in Maine) or bmurphy@umext.maine.edu.
Plentiful Plant A Row Program From York County
York County Master Gardener Volunteers look forward hopefully, to once again lead the state in quantity of produce gathered for the Plant A Row for the Hungry (PAR) program, as they begin their 10th season participation in the hunger relief effort. In the last three seasons York County has contributed over 30,000 pounds of fresh produce each year to shelters, food pantries and soup kitchens. Already, teams of Master Gardener Volunteers have begun gleaning at the Spiller Farm in Wells. Bill and Anna Spiller, owners of the farm, were the first commercial enterprise to participate when PAR became an official Master Gardener project back in 2000 with one master gardener volunteer. Spiller Farm continues to be the program's major contributor. The program has grown ten-fold since those early years. This year seven commercial growers are participating. Six farms are each assigned a team of four to 10 master gardener gleaners with a team leader acting as liaison to facilitate communication between the farmer and the team. The seventh farm, Zach's in York, donates all of their unsold produce from the farm stand at the end of each day. A master gardener volunteer coordinates with volunteers from five recipient agencies who pick up the vegetables five days a week and with Master Gardener Volunteers who pick up on the weekends and deliver to the York County Shelter Program, the major recipient of the PAR effort. In addition to the commercial farms about two dozen individual growers participate in PAR. They register at the season's kick-off during the annual spring plant sale and then deliver their excess produce to hunger relief agencies in their home towns. "York County farmers are extremely generous and welcoming to our PAR volunteers," said Zelda Kenney, a master gardener who helps to coordinate the effort. Besides Spillers and Zach's, participating farms include the Ben Grant and Rick Grant farms in Saco, Harris farm in Dayton, Riverside Farm in North Berwick, and Tibbetts Farm in Waterboro. Kenney noted, "Some, like Spillers now have planned surplus, so they can be sure there is something each week for the PAR program." She continued, "I can't say enough about their generosity and the dedication of our volunteers, some of whom return season-after-season. The appeal of the program is that it makes perfect sense. Vegetable that might otherwise be composted end up as nutritious meals, helping to stretch families' and agencies' budgets." © 2009 Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide equal opportunities in programs and employment. Call 800-287-0274 or TDD 800-287-8957 (in Maine), or 207-581-3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, or visit www.extension.umaine.edu.
A Member of the University of Maine System |
Last
Modified:
10/02/09
|