Salvation Farmy Reflection
July 18, 2010 
5 Comments
There are things people need, and then there are things people need on multiple levels. A garden is one of those things that will enrich the bodies, minds and spirits of generations to come. But before there was a plan to build a garden at the Salvation Army campus on Indiana, there was a motley crew of Leadership Spokane classmates and a gravel parking lot.
After months of preparation, soil samples revealed that our our original plot location had been contaminated with high levels of arsenic and lead. Apparently this is a common problem in developed areas. Unwanted chemicals come from a variety of sources: orchards that were sprayed with pesticides, old houses that are often coated in lead paint, anything near a rail road track, and parking lots suffer from the drippings and droppings of cars over time. So we worked with staff to come up with Plan B.
A second round of soil samples from our new location came back safe and sound. The next question was how to educate and involve our classmates, the public, and residents at the Salvation Army. We amassed a panel of six local healthy food experts to include in a project presentation. The dialog around this issue was seriously enriched by having a tangible real world example to discuss, and the decades of experience represented on the panel.
We had worked with the Salvation Army folks to identify a variety of ways people could access the garden, and integrate it into the Life Skills curriculum and other programs at the center. As momentum for “Salvation Farmy” continued to build, we had to get specific about how we were going to pay for the needed supplies. Expecting one or two “angel” donors in this down economy seemed unrealistic, so we planned on breaking down our strategy into smaller, more attainable pieces.
To grease the wheels of general giving from the public, we devised a plan to publish a cookbook comprised of over 100 recipes from the Leadership Spokane network. Our first coup was the Northern Quest Casino and Kalispel Tribe of Indians sponsoring the printing of the half-sheet spiral bound book. It contains fun dishes like The Spovegan’s vegan cheez ball and a few dog treat tips for your four-legged friends. Books are available at Auntie’s for $14.25, or can be ordered direct for $10 plus a $2 return service fee by mailing a check made out to “Leadership Spokane Cookbook” in a self-addressed stamped manila envelope to:
Mariah McKay
c/o Community-Minded Enterprises
25 W. Main Ave. Suite 310
Spokane, WA 99201
Phase I: A team of Gonzaga volunteers help with construction.
Excerpt from “Some Thoughts About Cookbooks and Community,” by Linda Finney, Executive Director of Leadership Spokane
Since the KXLY TV spot and the article in the food section in The Spokesman-Review about the cookbook, we’ve been getting a lot of orders through the mail here in the Leadership Spokane office. What’s remarkable–and moving–to me in this age of Facebook and blogs and PayPal is the nature of these orders.
They look like they were written by my Grandma. We’re seeing old-fashioned stationery, elegant (sometimes shaky) penmanship, carefully filled out checks and lots of little notes. “I want to support the students in their project.” “I must commend you for your contribution to the community.” “Thank you for caring about the poor.”
As Mark Pond, one of the members of the project team, writes, “The food produced in a community garden is often a sideshow when compared with the sense of camaraderie that is part-and-parcel of having strangers coming together to work toward a common goal.”
Phase II: We got our family & friends to help plant donated starts.
After several in-kind donations from generous local companies and a series of work parties, all that remains is to build the fence and for the gardeners to learn and work their magic. This project was an exhilarating experience of hands on problem-solving and change-making. The real beauty will be in watching and supporting the garden as it continues to grow.
- Please visit the Spovangelist Flickr page to see more Salvation Farmy pictures.
About the Author
Have you considered teaming with the Spokane County Master Gardeners for the educational piece of the garden? The organization is community minded, volunteer based with over 100 experienced gardeners ready to release the plant and gardening information currently stuck in their heads to anyone who wants to listen and learn.
This is a great effort!
The Master Gardeners have been involved with this project from the start. Consulting, constructing and educating, they’ve been an enormous resource.
The is great! More and more we all need to know where our food comes from and how to grow it! I’m been amazed and delighted with how the local foods movement has been blossoming in Spokane and elsewhere.
One of the intergenerational partnerships I’ve wondered about for years is between older folks who have backyards and younger folks who don’t. A matching of land, labor and love that produces food would be of benefit to all concerned. Love to tie this idea in somehow.
Cheers, Bob
great article – thank you for taking the time to share our journey with the world!