If you have ever tended a garden, you know the joy that results from seeing those tiny seeds finally transform into full, leafy plants after a few months of hard work and perseverance. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the gratification of providing for themselves and their families.
That’s where the High Country community comes into play.
W.A.M.Y. Communities in Action is holding the 2015 Garden Drive, a fundraiser to support the active Gardening Program where donations from the community enable the local elderly, disabled, and other low-income populations meet their nutritional needs while gaining a new level of self-sufficiency through gardening.
WAMY is striving to receive the items listed below in April but will accept donations in an ongoing fashion to give to clients.
The Gardening Program provides $50 vouchers for clients that can be redeemed for tools and supplies at certain local hardware stores. The goal of the Garden Drive aims to not only contribute to the availability of these vouchers but also to help clients by supplying them directly with the materials they need this season.
Each donation helps those in need save money on groceries, stay active and support self-sufficient ways of life.
For the past 50 years strong, W.A.M.Y. has been actively promoting the interests of High Country residents.
Each letter of W.A.M.Y. stands for the respective counties the group represents – Watauga, Ashe, Mitchell, Yancy. According to the 2013 State Health Report, in Watauga County alone, the rate of food insecurity is around 18.4 percent with over 9,000 residents living in food-insecure households. These statistics alone prove that maintaining consistent, reliable food sources remains a real problem for the community to address.
W.A.M.Y. intern, Kasey Powell, knows that this fundraiser is essential to empowering High Country residents and advocates for your participation.
“In order for a community to be successful both economically and socially, members have to remember how important it is to give back. Contributing to the Garden Drive is the perfect opportunity to give another what they may not be able to provide for themselves,” Powell said. “This fundraiser really promotes self-sufficiency and the health of our community, which can only thrive.”
Donating to the 2015 Garden Drive is one of many ways to contribute to a self-sustaining solution for hunger in the High Country. Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated.
Below is a list of needed items:
- Fertilizer
- Hats/Gloves
- Canning Jars/Containers
- Gardening Tools
- Miracle Grow
- Plants
- Seeds
- Sure-Gel
- Freezer Bags
- Marigolds
- Potting Soil
- Monetary Donations for Vouchers
If you would like to contribute any of these donations to the 2015 Garden Drive, items may be dropped off at
W.A.M.Y. Community Action, Inc.
225 Birch Street Suite 2
Boone, NC 28607
Here are some quotes from this past season’s clients regarding the garden drive:
“Somebody, somewhere has to do it, why not me. It leaves more for other who need it at the stores. You should do what you can for yourself while you can. You never know when the store-bought crop you rely on might fail. It is also good exercise.”
“I garden so we can eat through the winter. We can’t afford to buy everything, just the staples/basics that me and my daughter, and her family, all share. I need to know during the spring and summer that I will have enough put up to make it through winter.”
“WAMY’s Garden Voucher is very helpful. I probably wouldn’t have put of half of what I did this season without it. I get to trade with the neighbors too.”
“[WAMY’s G.V.] helps a lot to buy my fertilizer and miracle grow. My gardening spot is too far away for me to get to now and those things help me garden right outside my house.”
“It feels better to grow something and look at it and helps fight off depression. Gardening is all I can do anymore.”
Garden Gala Fundraiser
In addition, WAMY is holding its annual fundraiser, WAMY’s Garden Gala, on June 20, 2015 at 11 a.m. at the High Country Homebuilders Association off of HWY 105. (No charge to come.)
This event will be raising funds for all 5 of WAMY’s programs, all of which are geared towards aiding low-income individuals and families in becoming self-sufficient: Weatherization, Gardening, Total Family Development/Self-Sufficiency, Avery Youth Opportunities (after school), and the High Country CSA. Their will be food, speakers, a live and silent auction, as well as a lot of inspiration.
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