Community Garden Building

Disclaimer: I have decided that Idaho Foodbank Community Gardens sounds too much like the gardens belong to us, which obviously, they don't. To avoid giving people the wrong idea, I'm going to begin referring to it as Community Gardens of Idaho instead. Unfortuantely I'm not going to really be able to change the Facebook groups, but oh well...
Yesterday marked the inception of a new idea for Community Gardens of Idaho, which will hopefully be a huge incentive for families and a huge help for new community gardeners!
Disney is challenging families to do a day of volunteer work in service to their community (they say 8 hours) in exchange for a day pass. There are a variety of activities that families can participate in, and one of them, which has literally fallen into my lap, is to build a community garden. The Foodbank is one of the few organizations in this area that has signed up for this program, and as of yesterday we are in the process of coordinating projects to build community gardens.
My hope is to have Saturdays put aside in the spring for families to get together and build community gardens together, probably the last week in April until early June, if we have that much response. Now my task is to find land, water, and stuff donations and to find volunteers. I feel fairly optimistic about this, but I am also aware that it's going to take a lot of work. But think of the results!! If we can get people together to build even two or three gardens, that means there are two or three more gardens waiting for people to grow them. And, of course, there's the incentive of a Disney pass for families if they participate.
Now I have to figure out what materials I'll need... obviously a rototiller (if not several), compost, lumber for raised beds, stones, etc. I would appreciate any input!! And, of course, if anyone knows of any land and water to donate! I have a list of churches that I plan to contact, and a couple that has already graciously donated their land and water.
I think if properly executed, this event could be a lot of fun. There is so much potential for a fun, great family activity! I hope to include some sort of education with it as well as some fun games for kids. Though really, I know when I was a kid, I was perfectly happy digging around in the dirt. I'm hoping I can really market this as a fun, family event.
I also am peicing together another idea I have been toying with. On top of the (hopefully good) response building new gardens, I want to offer new community gardens a "Garden Starter Kit". I hope to include seeds (Preferably heirloom. What good are seeds if you can't save them to use again?), gloves, tools, informational materials, and whatever else I can think of.
I also received a call from Elaine Walker yesterday. It was one of those moments in life when something very unexpected and awesome happens. She was calling to donate some seeds to the Foodbank garden, which no longer exists. So of course, I mentioned Community Gardens of Idaho and we got on the subject of the Seed Swap. She writes an online, weekly gardening column for the Idaho Statesman, and this time part of it's dedicated to Community Gardens of Idaho. Go ahead and read it here. How exciting!!!
So now, all I need to do is get out of the fog from vacation... easier said than done, I know!

BUGS, Backyards, Newspapers

Woohoo!
Yesterday I met with the executive director from a non-profit group here in town called the Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS). This is a garden behind a church in Boise that is essentially for educating children. They have all kinds of projects during the growing season, and it's almost entirely funded by grants. They grow all sorts of vegetables and some flowers, too. The meeting offered even more resources for me to check out.
First, she mentioned a place called Sharing Backyards. This is a website that covers the whole country and I think a few other parts of the world, too. People who have land to offer for gardening of farming purposes register it in this website, and through an interactive mapping system it shows up. Also, people who need land for farming or gardening purposes register. The point is to connect the searchers and the givers together and give them a place to figure out the logistics. This could be VERY useful to us if we need to tell people where to find land!
Secondly, she mentioned Sustainable Community Connections of Idaho. This is a group that focuses very heavily on the concept of local as sustainable. They have a big program they are just starting called the Treasure Valley Food Coalition. When I eventually re-form the Garden Committee (I may not have mentioned this before... part of my assignment involves forming a garden committee and tracking its membership), she suggested that I ask someone from this group to be on it. Makes sense to me!
She also gave me some good advice about forming the garden committee itself. As I have never really done this before, it was good to hear. Basically she told me to be very explicit and clear when explaining the committee's purpose and intentions, and to also be very clear concerning the commitment required of each member. There was a garden committee in the past but it fell apart. Apparently because those in charge were not entirely clear about what they expected from each member. Hopefully I won't make that mistake again...
In other news, I was contacted by a reporter from the Idaho Statesman who wants to interview me! That's really great news, because it could really get the word out there. That's the hope, anyway. I have never been interviewed for a newspaper before, so this will be a new experience!
Edit: I just remembered! At the Foothills Learning Center (3188 Sunset Peak Road) here in Boise there's going to be a free composting workshop this Saturday. It starts at 10, lasts an hour, and doesn't require any pre-registration.