[Okc] FW: Urban Harvest needs help

[Jennifer Gooden]

Jennifer Gooden
Program Coordinator
The Homeless Alliance
 
 

________________________________

From: Chris Kirby [mailto:ckirby at regionalfoodbank.org] 
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 6:17 PM
To: Bruce Edwards
Subject: Urban Harvest need help



Hi all,

 

I hope everyone is doing well.  I can't seem to quit thinking about the
hurricane victims and how I can help.  I wanted to let you know that
Urban Harvest is in need for volunteers.  Bruce Edwards, gardening
coordinator of Urban Harvest, along with our Executive Director, Rodney
Bivens left yesterday for Baton Rouge for an indefinite time to help the
New Orleans food bank setup a warehouse to get food distributed to
victims.  The need is so great down there and it is very chaotic right
now.  The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma has already sent four
semi-trucks with full trailers of food, supplies and equipment and will
be working with all the Oklahoma agencies in the 53 counties that we
serve supplying food for evacuees that come to Oklahoma including Turner
Falls.  Many people have asked how they can help.  There are many ways
to help.

 

*	Donate cash to reputable non-profits like the Regional Food Bank
of Oklahoma, American Red Cross, etc.  The food bank has pledged 100% of
donations designated for hurricane relief will be used strictly for
hurricane relief.  The money enables non-profits to stretch the dollars
and purchase food and supplies in bulk at much cheaper prices. 
*	If donating food, donate by the case - need is great and will be
for a very long time. 
*	Pray for the survivors and mourn for the victims 

 

To all gardeners - Jerry Newhouse has just finished his one year service
as our community garden liaison and did such a fabulous job and we will
miss him a lot!  Our summer AmeriCorp VISTA's have finished their summer
service and did a fabulous job and now farmer Bruce will be gone for an
indefinite time.  Oh my goodness - that just leaves Chris at Urban
Harvest.  There is so much to do.  We are still harvesting, seeding fall
crops, transplanting fall crops, mowing, weed eating, irrigation,
composting, working with community gardens, still working on crop
gleaning, presentation prep and giving and all of the paperwork that
come with Urban Harvest(donation records, grant writing, all
communications(which is a lot), Developing, implementing and hiring for
our newly granted AmeriCorp program, donor cultivating, marketing,
annual report, industry partnerships with GM and Bridgestone Tire Plant,
ETC.!    If you happen to have some extra time, now is the time to
volunteer with Urban Harvest. HELP!  Hunger is an on-going catastrophe
in Oklahoma and through Urban Harvest we can help fight that war along
with helping the people in the Gulf Coast by giving them our trained
people from the food bank and filling in the programs here with
volunteers.   Please call me or email (this would be the best way since
I probably won't be in my office very much) if you have any extra time
and can volunteer primarily in the gardens or also in food sorting, etc.
You can bring a group or come by yourself, just let me know.   I will
also be working with an at-risk group of kids in the gardens every other
Sunday beginning Sept. 18 from 9:00am to 3:00pm and really need some
help working with the kids and to stay productive.  There is usually
around 15 kids and they usually work better if we can split them into
groups of 4 or 5.   

 

We also have a full time AmeriCorp position with a focus on gardening
with children and youth and 3 other full time positions working in
childhood hunger, produce distribution and gleaning, and
marketing/development that will be available for start between now and
Oct. 31.  I will send out an email with more details in a couple of
days.   Take care and if you have some extra time, let me know.  Thanks!

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Kirby

Urban Harvest Director & AmeriCorp Supervisor 

Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma 

P.O. Box 270968 

Oklahoma City, OK 73137-0968

405-972-1111 ext 108

405-688-6447 - fax

ckirby at regionalfoodbank.org

www.regionalfoodbank.org

25 Years of Fighting Hunger and Feeding Hope

 

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