Thank-You ... and a Special Invitation
During our month of focusing on hunger and poverty, so many of you have stepped up to the plate, so to speak, to actively do something about these issues. You may have made a donation to Sunnyside, or made HOPE lunches, or tried one of the delicious Meatless Monday recipes. Your participation made all of these efforts successful. Thank you for making life easier for so many!
Our hard-working Missions and Evangelism committee made most of these things happen, but did you know that we do even more?
Would you like to prepare gift bags for our neighbors or older adults? How about stuffing Christmas cards with gift certificates for our Diggs-Latham families? For these quick pop-up projects, we tend to turn to our committee members.
We gather for a specific purpose for a few hours, have a great time, and we’re done! Maybe you have an interest in our world mission efforts and would like to have some input into what we do there.
We are always happy when new people join us – and we welcome you! Just let us know that you are interested. Contact Sarah Jennings at jensar222@gmail.com or 336-486-7618.
Sarah Jennings
Missions and Evangelism Core Committee Chair
On Saturday Nov. 13, 2021, we collected more than 5,000 pounds of food for Sunnyside Ministry. The following day, Sunday Nov. 14, we prepared the first batch of 250 additional lunches for H.O.P.E., which is helping to feed hungry children in our community. We normally make 200 lunches per month; in November will make a total of 450!
See below for more ways to pray, serve and give, to address hunger and poverty – in November and every month of the year.
How Much Produce Does Sunnyside Receive from Wachovia Garden?
It is a good question. Wachovia Garden has been in existence for eleven years. For eleven years the gardeners have depended on Sunnyside to weigh the produce, weighing the total amount of vegetables for each delivery.
During the pandemic the gardeners needed to find a new way to deliver vegetables. The plants did not stop growing because there was a pandemic. Clients of Sunnyside continued to pick up food on a regular basis. The gardeners decided to bag produce into quart or gallon bags and small clamshell cartons. Items that were too large for bags were counted separately as “items”, such as large zucchini. The gardeners decided to count bags and large items. We were curious about the volume of produce and we wanted to know how productive each crop was. As the growing season comes to a close there are always questions about what to raise next year: do we add crops or stop growing crops; what are the most popular vegetables? For the first time we have a count for the produce taken to Sunnyside.
Kevin Smith and Don and Linda Frey harvest and deliver vegetables to Sunnyside from one to three times a week, depending on the time of season and the crops. Other gardeners help harvest during the weekly work session.
Since 2020, winter greens have been planted so that we can harvest from March through December, weather permitting. Winter greens include lettuce, spinach, kale, mustard and collards. This year we added radishes and garlic.
In 2021 we harvested produce in bags, including quart or gallon bags, small clamshell cartons, or separate “items”.
Beans (green) 119 bags
Beets 10 bags
Bell Peppers 75 bags + 83 items
Collards 35 bags
Cucumbers 10 bags + 174 items
Eggplant 13 bags + 12 items
Gourds 15 items
Kale 39 bags
Lettuce 27 bags
Mixed Vegetables 13 bags
Mustard Greens 5 bags
Okra 57 bags
Onions 9 bags
Potatoes 11 bags
Radishes 12 bags
Squash (yellow) 16 bags + 132 items
Tomatoes 239 bags
Zucchini 46 items
In addition to the vegetables for Sunnyside, the garden yields figs, plums, blackberries, herbs, grapevines, gourds and honey. Gardeners dried herbs and flower seeds and created wreaths to distribute to HMC members. The children and youth picked blackberries during Vacation Bible School. HMC chefs cooked with figs from Wachovia Garden.
During daylight saving time the gardeners meet on Tuesday evenings from 5pm to dusk. When the clock changes back, the gardeners meet on Saturday mornings from 10 to 12. This is a year-round adventure in a lovely space. We welcome anyone who wants to put their hands in the dirt.
Barbara Strauss
Wachovia Gardener
As we focus on hunger and poverty for the month of November, we will offer you food for thought – and food! Each week you will learn more about these important issues. And to focus on eating a budget-friendly, healthy and delicious meal, we will provide a Meatless Monday recipe from our HMC chefs.
