Northwest Oregon Plant a Row for the Hungry Committee

Garden Writers Association

Thank you to all who have participated in planning and implementing the first PAR information booth at a Portland garden show.  We are assigned to booth 1660.  Below are both a detailed schedule of booth time and some tips for sharing the message of the booth.  Please let me know if I have you scheduled correctly.  As you can see, open time slots are still available for those supportive of PAR but not yet committed.  Contact me at gardenwrite@comcast.net.

Thanks,

Elizabeth

Here are some general guidelines:

1. Getting into the Show. If you have a media or speaker pass, please use it, but if you need a show pass, I will leave tickets at Will Call.  Ask for the PAR project tickets. There will be a master list of names.  I only have 10 tickets so let me know if you plan to use one.
2. If something comes up during the show and you are unable to make your booth time, please notify me immediately by phone: home 503-697-0717 or cell 503-705-2256
3. What to do during your stint at the booth. 

·         Explain concept of gardeners sharing fresh produce with hungry people in our neighborhoods. Our purpose is to make gardeners aware that there are food bank drop-off sites close to home, and food taken to them will stay close to home.

·         Hand out PAR newspapers that were created for the Seattle GWA-PAR ?Garden of Eatin??.  They present information about hunger and PAR programs in other areas of the country and list the GWA website for more info on PAR.  Extras are stacked under the table. 

·         Direct area gardeners to the large lists of Oregon Food Bank food donation drop-off sites in the four metro counties (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Oregon and Clark, WA). 

·         Encourage them to write down sites near them on the PAR sheet or on a packet of PAR seeds. Try to keep pencils in the booth.

·         We have about 2000 packets of seeds to give out---donated by Ed Hume seeds, and on Sunday afternoon, we can give out the 200 chard plants that have been made into the garden rows--- donated by Log House Plants.  It would be good to have the faux garden sent home to people?s real gardens before end of show.

·         OFB will have some info brochures at the booth if people are interested in where the food goes, OFB?s Learning Garden and other volunteer opportunities for helping fight hunger.  You can distribute these fliers, but we have very few, so use them wisely.

·         Sturdy veggies and fruits are the best for sharing because they stay fresh longer: think peas, beans, cukes, corn, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, cherries, blueberries, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, onions and root crops.

·         It is a good idea to connect with your local drop-off site before you plan to give food, so you know when they are open to receiving donations.

Master Schedule for YGP GWA PAR volunteers

Thursday February 26 Setup

Ray McNeilan, Elizabeth Petersen, Nancy Junge, Tracey Miller, Kym Pokorny

Friday, February 27, 2004                                            NOTES                                  

10 a.m.                    Jim McAusland til noon                                                     Sunset

Noon                      Nancy Junge til 2                                                                 Freelance photographer                     

2 p.m.                     volunteer needed 2 til 4

4 p.m.                      Elizabeth Petersen til 6                                                        Freelance writer/lecturer

                                Barbara B. Ashmun til 5                                                      Writer, designer, lecturer

6 p.m.                     volunteer needed  6 til 9                                                                    

Saturday. February 28, 2004                                                    NOTES                                  

10 a.m.                    Tracey Miller til 2                                 Australasian College of Herbal Studies

Noon                      Tracey Miller                                                                        double shift!

2 p.m.                      Lynn Lustberg til 4                                                              Garden Showcase editor                                                                                                                                    

4 p.m.                     volunteer needed

6 p.m.                     volunteer needed                                 

8 p.m.                     volunteer needed til 9                        

Sunday, February 29, 2004

10 a.m.                   volunteer needed til 1                                                        

Noon                       volunteer needed til 1                                                                        

1 p.m.                      Dawn O?Donnel-Hummel til 3                                            BeeDazzled Designs                                                                           

3 p.m.                      Ed Markham til 6                                                                  Chief Red Sneaks

                                Ray McNeilan til 6                                                               Media icon

Post show take down

6 p.m.                      Ed Markham, Ray McNeilan, Elizabeth Petersen