So Long, Summer and Welcome Back, Fall

by 
Lisa Mosca, Food Moxie Executive Director

At FOOD MOXIE our summer program module just wrapped up. The culminating event for the Teen Leadership Corps summer program was the Gather for Good youth conference at Awbury Arboretum, which welcomed 50 guests.

At Garden Club, over 40 children enjoyed seasonal delicious and healthy summer snacks, including the tomatoes, eggplant and peppers we planted in growing spaces. While on garden walks, they took in the amazing aromas of lemon verbena, lavender and mint. They enjoyed helping us with watering, along with hearing stories related to seasonal fruits and vegetables and artwork associated with these themes.

Martin Luther King High students visited the MLK Garden during travel training and helped us water and mulch with salt hay. In between chores, they snacked on healthy summer fruits and seasonal veggies. Meanwhile, Hope Kitchen provided 12 delicious scratch-cooking classes to adult caregivers using seasonal ingredients.

Looking ahead to fall, we are putting a call out for members interested in earning Co-op work shift hours for helping with some of our program and other needs. If you are interested, you can find our shifts on the Member Work Calendar under FOOD MOXIE.

Tickets are now on sale on our website for our annual Seed to Supper farm-to-table fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 19 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Awbury Agricultural Village; proceeds benefit our programs. Next, gear up for the 14th Annual Urban Farm Bike Ride on Oct. 5.

We are excited for our fall program module to begin. We’ll be highlighting fall crops through growing, tasting and eating experiences with Saul, MLK and Stenton learners. Thank you to all the Co-op members who support making these programs happen in the Northwest community.