Fn*d far All trarden The Rev. Stephen Hosking St. Alexis Christian

Fn*d far All trarden
is a project of
#crr{ omrnun it yf *nes,I nc.
at the
Episcopal
Churchof the HolyAdvent
81 EastMain Street,P.O.Box536
Clinton,CT06413
Growing fresh produce in Clinton
hungry olong Connecticut'sShoreline
the
for
Coordinator:MargaretS. Larom
9I7-71,4-421,5
[email protected]
rden.org
www.foodforallga
The Rev.StephenHosking
St.AlexisChristianOrthodoxChurch
Clinton,CT06413
October23,201,4
DearFr.Stephen:
As the 2014gardeningseasondrawsto a close,I want to thankyou,your parishand the New England
Dicceseof the OrthodoxChurchin Americaonce againfor the tremendoussupportyou havegivento
theFoodforAllGarden.LocatedbehindtheEpiscopalChurchoftheHolyAdventparishhall,which
hoststhe ClintonFoodPantryeveryweek,the gardenhasproducedliterallytons of freshvegetables,
evening.That's
everyWeidnesday
familieswhich comefor assistance
herbsand flowersfor the L15-L2O
right,tons - 3,750poundsin 2013(ourfirstyear)and nearly6,000poundsso far this year.
spirit.Our churchesare
Youand your Churchhavesupportedus in the finestcommunityand ecumenical
havebecomemorethan neighbors
but you and your parishioners
in closeproximitygeographically
sharersin the missionof caringfor God'shungrypeopleon the Shoreline.
now beingfriends,supporters,
The 52,000grant lastyear provedinvaluablein creatinga drip irrigationsystemin the main garden
(whichmeasuresapproximately100x200feet), and in creating"Foodfor All Jr.",a sectionof the garden
with a greenhouseand raisedbedsdevotedto engagingthe 4thand 5thgradersat PiersonSchoolnext
door. You'll be happyto hearthat one teacherstartedan after-schoolgardenclub which drew L7
childreninto growingactivitieslastspringand 18 childrenthisfall.
The 52,500grant this year (a tremendousvote of confidencewhich we deeplyappreciate),was usedfor
two purposes.Thanksto a grant from the CTDepartmentof Agriculture,we had been able to extendthe
gardensignificantly.
But that meantextendingthe water linesand drip irrigationsystemand building
two more kiosksforthe valves,gaugesand connections.Bill Brubaker,a St.Alexisparishioner,stepped
items-teachingthe
and builtthe necessary
up to the challengeonceagainand designed,purchased
gardenvolunteershow to useeverythingas well. The cost was approximatelyS1,000.
with the residentsand staff
The balanceof the grant hasenabledus to builda remarkablerelationship
of Peregrine'sLanding,the memory care residentialfacilitythat is our mutual neighbor.A chance
discoveryin 20L3- that the residentsgreatlyenjoyedwatchingall the activityin the garden- led to a
walks over to the garden' which is
decisionto create a path through the woods (to facilitate daily
with vegetables)'Split-railfencing
brilliantwith flowers,butterfliesand birdsas well as bursting
postsand railsto providea
donatedby a farmer in Killingworthwas supplementedwith additional
were usedto create a little
protective border. perennialplants and bushesdonated by clinton Nurseries
gardenandPeregrine,sLandingaddedabenchforrestingenroute.
project - a "visiting zoo" ! Learning
A conversationwith the owner led to a considerablymore elaborate
purposes(andsimpledelight),the rectorof
that animalsare often broughtto the facilityfor therapeutic
to a smallanimalenclosure'
Holy Adventdecidedthat one cornerof the propertycould be devoted
church, the Rev' Peter Larom
using funds donated by Peregrine'sLandingas well as by the orthodox
from Peregrinestaff and friends'
built a fenceand gated pen as well as a smallshelterwith help
goat named Lollilopwere in residence'On
By mid-July,a miniaturehorsenamedSpeedyand a miniature
hit immediately.(Thegoat had a
loan from the BushyHill Nature Center in tvoryton,they were a big
replacedby another goat named
troublesome habit of escaping,however, so was returned and
residentwho come to visit
Hazelnut.)The animalsremain star attractions not only for the Peregrine
of PiersonSchool'
everyday, but alsothe childrenof pantryguestsand the students
has providedfood for the soul to the
While the Peregrineproject has not providedfood for the pantry, it
This pastoraleffort has helped to
old and young, the volunteersand the vulnerable,in countlessways'
the animalshavebeen a meaningful
credtea safespacethat is fun and healthy.Also,we havelearned,
teens'communityservice,
part of the outreachwe do in anotherarea- providinga locationfor area
even as a work site for court-mandated
clinton,slow-incomeyouth summeremploymentprogram,and
that boysactuallyenjoyed!
communityservice.Feedingand muckingout the animalswas a chore
you securedfrom your diocese'and
ln closing,let me say againto you, Fr. Steve,that the financialhelp
to volunteer,sharinggarden
.,moralsupport"you haveprovidedthroughencouragingparishioners
the
a very greatdealto
and servingon the board of Our CommunityCares,Inc.,hasmeant
communications,
for All Garden'
us at the Episcopalchurch of the HolyAdvent,and in the Food
in your ministryin clinton and all alongthe shoreline,
Blessings
-,4
,
\/t
)- 'Al"*('itu,h
--c
4 r n4r-h/\/
MargaretS.Larom
Coordinator