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Though the soggy soil may disagree, it is officially summer across Cultivating Community’s programs. Read on to find out more about our work and ways to get involved, from taking advantage of SNAP discounts at one of our New American farmstands to stopping by for a Pop Up Picnic dinner at one of the Community Gardens.
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Our first session of Youth Growers got off to a rainy, yet lively start. We’re thrilled to report that not only is the Boyd Street Urban Farm looking abundant, but this cohort of Portland public high schoolers, are vivacious, participatory, and reliable. |
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The group is diving head first into games, cooking lessons, and garden projects with true curiosity and motivation. Some topics we’ve begun to cover: tomato pruning, weeding, pest problems, irrigation systems, food safety, and learning about one another!
Most of these students are living at the Expo, a motel, or the Teen Shelter. Time and time again, they tell us how much they appreciate having an enriching place to spend their time during the day.
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With huge thanks to our 98 generous Spring Campaign donors, Cultivating Community has been able to offer a safe, fun, and educational program to 50 students this summer. We couldn’t be more grateful.
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This summer, Cultivating Community’s Fresh Start Farms and New American growers are set to distribute over $230,000 worth of free food to the community through programs and partnerships that work to not only empower New American farmers but also increase equitable access to fresh local food.
One of our favorites is the Free Veggie Bag Program. Funded in part with support from the State of Maine’s LFPA grant, we have partnered with Hope Acts, Maine Association of New Americans (MANA), Opportunity Alliance, Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS), and others, with a goal to distribute 800 free veggie bags this summer.
Each week these bags include 8-10 different vegetables, focusing on culturally-important crops, like African eggplant and squash leaves. Our youth interns also deliver bags through our Elder Share program, hand-delivering fresh produce to limited-resource elders in the East Bayside Neighborhood.
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Two NASAP growers, Ahmed and Halema, inspect their early lettuce crop.
PHOTO CREDIT: Gillian Cridler
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2023 Farm Stand Schedule
- Mondays – None Scheduled
- Tuesdays (2pm-6pm) – Kennedy Park, Lewiston
- Wednesdays (7am-1pm) – Deering Oaks, Portland
- Thursdays (11am-3pm) – Riverton Park, 2 Riverton Dr., Portland
- Thursdays (1pm-5pm) – Portland Food Co-op, 290 Congress St., Portland
- Fridays (2:30pm-6pm) – Westbrook Pointe Apts, 26 Prospect St., Westbrook
- Saturdays (7am-1pm) – Deering Oaks, Portland
- Saturdays (11am-4pm) – Portland Food Co-op, 290 Congress St., Portland
- Sundays – None Scheduled
🥕 Days, times, and/or locations are subject to change. Please visit our website for the most current schedule throughout the July to October farm stand season.
CultivatingCommunity.org/farmstands |
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Planning Ahead for School Gardens
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Our School Program has been partnering with schools around the Cumberland County area for over 15 years with the goal of getting kids outside and into school gardens. Our partnerships and programming focus on capturing students’ natural curiosity for the outside world and providing hands-on and delicious experiences with healthy food while encouraging students to become environmental stewards in an ever-changing climate.
In recent years, we have worked in a strong partnership with Portland Public Schools, helping advocate integration of garden education into all elementary schools. For the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, the district has hired four Environmental Literacy teachers, a creative solution to budget limitations that will provide garden education at all eight mainland PPS elementary schools. |
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We are dedicated to supporting local schools to integrate garden & food-based programming and are adapting to meet the needs and changes at Portland Public Schools and beyond.
Please reach out to Lilly Kendall our Schools Program Manager for all inquiries and questions about our schools partnership program at lkendall@cultivatingcommunity.org |
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 This past month since garden plots have been carefully planted out in our community gardens, we’ve seen a lot of everyone’s (not-so) favorite garden pest: the groundhog! While we all know that pests come with gardening, it can be especially devastating to plan and plant out a garden, only to have it mowed down in a single visit. Gardeners are trying out everything from dog fur to fencing and trenching to deter these pests. If there is anyone who would like to volunteer to be our dedicated groundhog pest control specialist, let us know! We could really use the help. |
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Garden Recipes of the Month
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 This is the time of year when we see curly garlic scapes emerging from garlic plants! Garlic scapes are shoots that the garlic plant sends up that will turn into a flower, but most gardeners and farmers cut these off to encourage bulb growth.
Milder in flavor than garlic bulbs, these green beauties can be used in so many different ways! In a pesto, a stirfry, or on a pizza are just a few ideas.
Here’s a link to three great recipes for garlic scapes, courtesy of The Farmers’ Almanac. |
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Return of the Pop Up Picnic
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Wayside Food Programs, Cultivating Community, The Locker Project, and many more are thrilled to host this annual summer for a series of festive picnics at four different community gardens around Portland. Enjoy a free dinner, meet your neighbors, and explore the gardens!
The Payson Park was rescheduled for today, Monday, July 17th, so you didn’t miss out!
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Save the Date for Barn Fest 2023
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Join Cultivating Community and our friends at Falmouth Land Trust (FLT) for the 2023 Barn Fest to help us save the historic barn at Hurricane Valley Farm!
Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 17 from 3-7 pm. Tickets will be on sale soon for this fun-filled and family-friendly farm event.
We need your help to repair this 100-year-old historic barn so that it can function as a water-tight, working barn for the next 50 years and beyond. FLT has been an exceptional partner to Cultivating Community and is committed to providing a safe and functional workspace for our New American Sustainable Agriculture Program. The barn is still structurally sound, but the roof, siding, timber frame, and foundation are all in need of urgent repair or replacement. They are working to raise the final $100,000 to make the repairs and improvements. |
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We’re Seeking New Board Members!
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We empower people through food – join us! Our mission is to grow sustainable communities by expanding access to healthy, local food; empowering children, youth, and adults to play diverse roles in restoring the local, sustainable food systems; and modeling, teaching, and advocating for ecological food production.
 Our volunteer board of directors is an essential part of advancing our mission and the success of our organization. We are seeking new board members to join our diverse, collaborative, and engaged Board of Directors as Cultivating Community grows in its next chapter under new leadership. Terms of Board service are 2 years and we ask for 5-8 hours of volunteer participation per month.
Interested? Please fill out this form to the best of your ability. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Silvan Shawe, Executive Director, at silvan@cultivatingcommunity.org.
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Community donations make all of our work possible. Please consider contributing to keep our food justice programs thriving and growing this summer and for many more seasons to come!
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