One Community, One Spirit
www.feedfannin.com
Volume 2 Number 3 Fannin County, GA and the Copper Basin, TN July/August 2010
We Couldn’t Do It Without You!
Feed Fannin had four successful fundraisers in May and June, but we couldn’t have done it without the help of many caring people and businesses inour community. Thanks to Serenity Garden Café, Christy Lee’s Courtyard Grille, Harvest on Main, L.L. Beanery Bakery Café, Anthony’s Bakery, and Lisa Mitchell’s Hair Design for contributing to the downtown CakeWalk. Thanks to these businesses for contributing raffle items for our Arts in the Park event: Just Judi's, Harvest on Main, Andy's Jewelers, The Mailbox Company, Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company, Chocolate Express, Art and Antiques, Silk Road Traveler, Lisa Mitchell Hair Design, Belle's Boutique, Love Dogs and Cats, Kristina Lees Boutique, Shiny Baubles, Out of the Blue, The Little Shop -Hallmark, Knit Witch, Higher Ground Massage and Body Work Studio/Ann Studley, High Country Art and Antiques, and Spa Beautiful. Thanks to Cohutta Grill for organizing “Flapjacks for Feed Fannin” at their Windmill Farms Festival. Thanks to Wrestlers of the Southfor sponsoring thewrestling event. Thanks go to Brian Koch, Rick and Diane Morgan, and Tim Curtis’ Boy Scout Troop 32 for their help in making this a successful event. All proceeds went directly to the Americorps Food Bank.
Thanks to Maron Buice for contributing tomato plants to the garden. Thanks toFannin County Democratic Party for Feed Fannin Buttons. Thanks to Carol Shannon of Two Paws Up for donations.
As always, we appreciate ourbusiness partners and individuals who have donated their time or resources to Feed Fannin these past two months:
The Mailbox Company Laura's Jams Tim Snead Ace Hardware Knit Witch Mountain Office Supply Steve Martin at Blue Ridge Design Workshop Tim Shubert at Blue Ridge Computers Ray Patterson at Fannin Wrecker
The Davenport Garden is populated with a whole
family of scarecrows – come on down and visit them!
Feed Fannin Sponsors for May & June
Kathleen Sutherland Donna Hills
Out of the Blue Christine Martinez
Manuela Canales Tom Branch Ronnie Hold, D.D.S. Anonymous
Bert and ReLeah Lent
Peggy Cleveland and Carl Henderson
Food Bank Report
Usually, setting a record is a good thing, as in setting a record for growing the largest pumpkin or watermelon. The Food Bank set a new record in June, but we are not celebrating. On June 28, the food bank served thirty families (that’s over ninety people), the largest number of families in its history to receive food in one day. Doug Davenport, director of the Americorps Food Bank, said he was amazed at the number of people showing up each day, sometimes as soon as the doors opened, and he expressed concern over being able to meet the increasing need. “Bring any kind of food--canned meats, pastas, dried beans, cereal; we’ll take anything people can eat.” He went on to say that a lot of people had shown up who hadn’t been there before, indicating to him that the problem of hunger was spreading. “And people are really grateful,” he said. “They tell us that if it weren’t for the food bank, they don’t know what they would do.” Some of the Americorps volunteers told us that sometimes people sit in the parking lot for a long time before coming into the building. Many of these people are embarrassed to ask for food. Doug said one woman just walked up to the glass door and stared in. He went to the door and asked her if he could help her. She didn’t say a word. Finally, he said, “Ma’am, do you need food?” With tears running down her face, she merely nodded. He helped her get a box of food, but she never did speak and he never saw her again. “She was devastated,” he said. “The summer is a hard time,” Doug said. “We’ve seen a lot more children than during the rest of the year.” He reminded us that the food bank often provides food so people can free up what money they have to pay their rent or utilities. “We’re here to create a spark,” he said, “sometimes that’s all we can do.”
Volunteer Spotlight: Pat & Phil Slaughter
By ReLeah Lent
Feed Fannin got two for the price of one when the Slaughters volunteered. Pat Slaughter is the face (and telephone voice) of Feed Fannin for new volunteers, and her husband, Phil, is the treasurer. Luckily for Feed Fannin, they found their way up to the mountains quite by accident. “We hadn’t even thought about buying a house,” Pat said when she explained that she had come to Blue Ridge for a woman’s retreat and then told Phil that he HAD to see this place. They had lived in a suburb of Atlanta for over thirty years and were surprised to find the beauty and peace that lay a little over an hour away. Phil and Pat came back for a brief vacation and they saw a house for sale off Highway 60. They decided to take a look at it. “By the time we left, Pat had that place decorated and landscaped,” Phil laughed. They bought the cabin right away and moved in full-time two years later in 2002. As they talked, they looked at each other, laughing at the memories they were sharing, first one and then the other filling in the blanks of their story. “We met on a blind date,” Pat said. “And when I opened the door and saw Pat, I knew I had hit the jackpot,” Phil reminisced. Pat was working in the business office of a large Methodist church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Phil’s childhood friend was the youth minister. When Phil was transferred to Charlotte with his job at the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), he called his friend. Before he knew it, his friend was one of two ministers who married them. “We wanted to make sure it worked,” they said of the double dunking. Both of them have always been in the money, so to speak. Phil has spent his career in the financial field, working at Georgia Tech as a budget analyst, and Pat retired from a company where she worked in the finance and credit department after raising their two sons. Together, they keep Feed Fannin’s budget in the black. And how did they get involved with Feed Fannin? “We’ve been blessed and we wanted to give back,” Phil said. So, when they saw an article in the paper, Phil called founder Barbara Ferer. “We’ve always been involved in the community and church,” Pat said, “and we wanted to do something to help people.” But being the treasurer is a big responsibility. “Why did you decide to take on that role in retirement?” I asked. “Well, I saw Barbara in the grocery store after I had been to a few meetings, and she asked me what career I had had before retiring. I told her I was in accounting. I got a phone call from her that night asking if I would be the group’s treasurer.” “We stay busy” they said as they got in their car to drive home after helping decorate the Feed Fannin float for the July 4th parade. And anyone who knows the Slaughters can tell you that they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Feed Fannin Committees
Last year, Feed Fannin worked as a large family, everyone pitching in to get the chores done. This year,we are working more in teams and then coming together on the second and fourth Tuesday to share our progress.There's a place for you in this organization, no matter where your skills, talents, or interests lie.
Gardening
We have five community gardens and support several church gardens,so ourgardening committeestays busy during growing season.If you like playing in the dirt, this is the place for you.Gardening chair is Skip Labelle (706-374-5987), Reggie Lenoir is Davenport Garden supervisor (706-838-4540), and Ham Kimzey is Ada Garden Supervisor (706-964-6600).
Distribution
Getting the crops from the garden to the Americorps Food Bank is an important job that keepsthis team busy around harvest time. They also sponsor Stone Soup Day and other activities that involve the distribution of food tothose who need it. Jane Kimzey (706-964-6600) and Tuly Fodo (706-258-4552) co-chair this team.
Education
We offered a wide variety of courses last "semester," such as growing fruit trees,building raised bed gardens, and raising chickens, to name a few. Beginning in August, we will offer another slate of courses, so be on the lookout for these. We need people to teach and organize these events. Education chair is Bill Voyles: 404-455-3965.
Public Relations
This team writes and publishes the newsletter, keeps the website current, and works on public awareness.They work with the education team to provide information to the public on topics ranging from nutrition to gardening. ReLeah Lent (706-374-1247) and Brittany Newberry (404-664-6199) co-chair this team.
Fundraising
Feed Fannin needs donations to keep the gardens growing, the food bank stocked, and the public made aware of our events. You'll see this team at area events, such as Arts in the Park and the WildlifeFestival. Roger Herr (423-548-6307) and Marty Kahn (706-374-3828) co-chair this team.
Special Areas
Feed Fanninsupports several related special areas, such as Snack in a Backpack and the Blue Ridge Area Environmental Action (BRAEA) group. Contact Brittany and Wayne Newberry (404-664-6199) and Bert Lent (706-374-1247) for information about BRAEA; Gaye Whalton (706-258-4090) for informationabout Snack in a Backpack.
Other important contacts:
Barbara Ferer, lead coordinator: 706-374-2120
Pat Slaughter, volunteer coordinator - 706-838-4374
Guess What's Growing in the Gardens?
Davenport Garden: beans, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, beets, popcorn, squash, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupes, tomatoes, soybeans, celery
Ada Street Garden: corn, beans
Forge Mill Garden: LOTS of potatoes
Barbara Shesky's garden: squash, cucumbers, bush beans, tomatoes
John Autry's garden: tomatoes, bush beans
Feed Fannin Garden Tour
Join us Saturday, July 31, at 10:00 a.m.for an enlightening and entertaining tour of Feed Fannin's community garden at Davenport Lumber Yard. Learn the secrets of organic gardening from some of the area's most experienced farmers, talk to master gardeners about problems you may be having with your vegetables,take away hints for growing magnificent ornamentals, and enjoy the family of scarecrows who reside in the garden. This event will be a great family outingafter visiting the Farmer's Market on Main Street! Rain date is August 8.
Our Needs
· If you have a single-axle trailer or any gardening equipment you would be willing to donate to Feed Fannin, call Skip at 706-374-5987.
· New backpacks are needed for Snack in a Backpack. Call Gaye at 706-258-4090 if you would like to make a donation.
· The gardening and distribution committees are in need of kitchen knives for harvesting. Call Jane at 706-964-6600.
· The food pantry always needs canned meats, canned fruit, complete boxed meals (the kind that doesn't require meat), and fruit juice.
Volunteers are always needed! Please call Pat Slaughter at 706-838-4376 if you want to help out in the garden or on one of our committees.
Calling All Artists!
The shed at Davenport Garden has three outside walls that may be perfect canvases for your art. Submit your original garden-themed design to Skip, who will head thecommittee to choose an artist to beautify the shed. We want our community garden to belovely as well as functional, so get those creative juices flowing and call Skip at 760-374-5987 or email him at .
Feed Fannin’s Summer Activities
As you can see from the photos below, we’ve had a lot of fun and great camaraderie raising funds and community awareness to help the hungry.
Barbara Ferer, lead coordinator of Feed Fannin, got up close and personal with The Barbarian, the feature wrestler at the Super Stars of the South fundraiser, who agreed to wear a Feed Fannin button.
The Feed Fannin booth at Arts in the Park introduced Aunt Sue’s and Uncle Stew’s “No-Gnat Hats,” a must for area gardeners with all proceeds going to the Snack in a Backpack Program.
The 2nd annual Stone Soup Day was a great success! Above,
after enjoying scrumptious creative stone soup, County Commission Chairman Bill Simonds signs a proclamation for May 25 as Feed Fannin Day.
Once again, Feed Fannin’s “fertile” minds came up with a great garden-themed float complete with scarecrows and the “American Gothic” farm couple for the Fourth of July Parade.
Wisdom from the Wild
By Sue Campbell
Purple Opal Basil also goes by the name Purple Basil or Opal Basil. It is an annual with relatively broad leaves that reproduces prolifically and comes back easily every season in either partial sun or full sun locations. This decorative basil is hardy and determined. It can even come up in established sunny grass areas. It is usually first seen in early to mid-May with the season warming, and it likes some ventilation to the soil that isn’t too rich. If it seems to be too invasive, the rather shallow root structure pulls up easily.
Purple Opal Basil has a delightful, delicate taste and can be used as a salad garnish or in vinegars, giving these vinegars a subtle basil taste with a most distinctive pinkish/mauve color. This herb grows to a height of 2 ½ to 3 inches. It has an interesting nature with leaves that stay a reddish green when growing in the shade or turn a distinctive pinkish red when growing the sun. Want color in your herb garden? Purple Opal Basil will delight your taste buds as well as being a colorful addition to any area in which it grows.