Good news, everyone! Sam Harmer's Public Relations class at BSU has decided to help me promote the Homegrown Hootenanny in May! I'm really excited to work with these students. From what Sam has told me, they're really on the ball and have helped out a lot of businesses in the past. I hope this will be fun for them! I would love to try out all kinds of crazy marketing techniques and generally have fun with it. They all seemed so enthusiastic and I'm really excited to hear what they have to say! Hopefully, this can also spread the word in the world of social media as well...
I'm up to 38 Facebook fans at this point, which is 5 more than a week ago. Sure, it's not like all of Boise is my Facebook fan, but I feel like this is really starting to take off. And with those students to help me... the sky's the limit!!! Wait and see!!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Pound for Pound challenge!
I forgot to mention!!!
Go to this website and pledge how many pounds you'll lose. The cap is 50, and for each pound pledged in the state of Idaho, the foodbank gets 14 cents. And we get ALL of that money. There are no weigh-ins or check-ups or anything... pledge it and we will receive it! Think of it this way. The last time I looked, Idaho residents have pledged 30,234 pounds. This means we are getting a check for at least $4232.76. No strings attached.
So what are you waiting for?! Go and pledge today!
Go to this website and pledge how many pounds you'll lose. The cap is 50, and for each pound pledged in the state of Idaho, the foodbank gets 14 cents. And we get ALL of that money. There are no weigh-ins or check-ups or anything... pledge it and we will receive it! Think of it this way. The last time I looked, Idaho residents have pledged 30,234 pounds. This means we are getting a check for at least $4232.76. No strings attached.
So what are you waiting for?! Go and pledge today!
Webpage!
Woohoo! I am constructing the Idaho Community Gardens webpage as you read this! However, I'm going to wait for the initial unveiling until a future date... it's still very bare bones and slightly embarrassing at this point. :)
But I CAN tell you more about the Homegrown Hootenanny! Plans are moving very quickly in that direction. The Homegrown Hootenanny is a concert and fundrasier. The purpose of this event is to promote Idaho Community Gardens, to benefit the Idaho Foodbank through a silent auction, and to celebrate all things local. We'll have local bands playing, local businesses donating for the silent auction, and of course, donations for the silent auction strictly from local businesses!
This event will take place at the Visual Arts Collective on May 7th. We aren't quite certain of the timeframe yet, but it will probably start at 8 PM.
These are all the details I can give you. All I know is, it's going to be a rooty-toot-tootin' good time with some good music and good fun. And, of course, it's for a very worthy cause!
More details to follow...
But I CAN tell you more about the Homegrown Hootenanny! Plans are moving very quickly in that direction. The Homegrown Hootenanny is a concert and fundrasier. The purpose of this event is to promote Idaho Community Gardens, to benefit the Idaho Foodbank through a silent auction, and to celebrate all things local. We'll have local bands playing, local businesses donating for the silent auction, and of course, donations for the silent auction strictly from local businesses!
This event will take place at the Visual Arts Collective on May 7th. We aren't quite certain of the timeframe yet, but it will probably start at 8 PM.
These are all the details I can give you. All I know is, it's going to be a rooty-toot-tootin' good time with some good music and good fun. And, of course, it's for a very worthy cause!
More details to follow...
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
BSU Service Learning
Last night I spoke to Sam Harmer's Boise State University Public Relations class. There were probably 35 or 40 students there, so it was definitely the largest group I people I have yet spoken to.
I spoke to them because their class is involved in Service Learning at BSU. This is a really cool program, so I want to make a plug for them here. It's a program where classes get involved with non-profit organizations. As far as I know, there are classes in every department that are involved. From what I know, some students get to individually choose which non-profit they would like to work with, while some projects are picked by an entire class. Students get credit for volunteer hours, and it's a win-win for everyone involved. Students get to do something cool and worthwhile that counts towards their degree, and the non-profits get help that they really need from individuals who are excited to do it.
I was invited to speak at the Public Relations class last night. My hope is to get help with marketing in general and marketing with the Homegrown Hootenanny specifically. We're all doing something awesome. So if someone else gets picked, there's no way I'd be disappointed! It means SOMEone out there is getting help they need, and for all I know, they may need it more than Idaho Community Gardens does.
At any rate, I should hear back pretty soon whether I was chosen or not. No matter what happens, Service Learning is a great thing. If I had known it existed in my undergrad (I'm sure it does at University of Wisconsin, Madison), I would have loved something like it. They have a Facebook page (Service Learning) and their website is here. Check them out!
I spoke to them because their class is involved in Service Learning at BSU. This is a really cool program, so I want to make a plug for them here. It's a program where classes get involved with non-profit organizations. As far as I know, there are classes in every department that are involved. From what I know, some students get to individually choose which non-profit they would like to work with, while some projects are picked by an entire class. Students get credit for volunteer hours, and it's a win-win for everyone involved. Students get to do something cool and worthwhile that counts towards their degree, and the non-profits get help that they really need from individuals who are excited to do it.
I was invited to speak at the Public Relations class last night. My hope is to get help with marketing in general and marketing with the Homegrown Hootenanny specifically. We're all doing something awesome. So if someone else gets picked, there's no way I'd be disappointed! It means SOMEone out there is getting help they need, and for all I know, they may need it more than Idaho Community Gardens does.
At any rate, I should hear back pretty soon whether I was chosen or not. No matter what happens, Service Learning is a great thing. If I had known it existed in my undergrad (I'm sure it does at University of Wisconsin, Madison), I would have loved something like it. They have a Facebook page (Service Learning) and their website is here. Check them out!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
I have a few more details concerning the Community Seed Swap! March 27th at Edward's Greenhouse. I'm still a little fuzzy on the timeframe, but it's happening at the same time as "Swing into Spring", which lasts all day on that Saturday. There will be classes going on that day with the subjects of containers, new introductions, natives, and soil. I will hopefully be speaking briefly between the various classes, and handing out informational materials.
As I previously mentioned, Edward's has graciously offered their space for the event. Which is great... this means they're going to help me with advertising. And frankly, it's just a great venue for people to get inspired to garden. For anyone who hasn't been out to see their massive greenhouses, massive selection, and overall beautiful grounds, I would highly recommend it! That is, of course, if you aren't planning to head down for the Community Seed Swap! They also have a Farmer's Market with live music every Tuesday evening during the summer. I have yet to attend this, but it sounds awesome. I live right in the neighborhood, after all! On top of helping us so much with this event, they've also offered to act as a drop-off point for produce and canned goods. So bring your extra garden produce to Edward's, and they'll make sure it goes to the right place!
The logistics are still being determined, but my hope is that once gardeners arrive, they will proceed to the informational booth where either I or a volunteer will be sitting. They'll have access to promotional and seed-saving materials, and be asked to fill out a notecard concerning their seeds. My hope is to get people excited and knowledgeable about saving seeds (if they aren't already) and to have a general good time. I hope gardeners will meet each other for the first time!
On that note, I've spent a lot of this week setting up a social network for people involved in or associated with food projects (i.e. community gardens, refugee gardens, donation programs, etc.) in Boise. It's my hope that everyone can talk together, meet, and swap information. There are so many projects going on, and I think they would all benefit so much by being part of a larger community. Kim Metez of the Abundance Project (Another great project to benefit refugees in our area) has helped me out a lot so far. One of the first items on our agenda is to gather these folks for an informal get-together.
So don't be shy... if you'd like to join the network, go to boisegrowers.ning.com and sign up. You don't have to be from Boise at all despite what the name suggests.
In other news, I got the approval today for a concert, fundraising, and promotional event at the Visual Arts Collective (VAC) on May 7th. Keep that date in the back of your mind... I can't tell you much at this point because we are so early in the planning stages, but I can tell you the event is called the Homegrown Hootenanny. With a name like that, how can you go wrong? I mean, honestly?
As I previously mentioned, Edward's has graciously offered their space for the event. Which is great... this means they're going to help me with advertising. And frankly, it's just a great venue for people to get inspired to garden. For anyone who hasn't been out to see their massive greenhouses, massive selection, and overall beautiful grounds, I would highly recommend it! That is, of course, if you aren't planning to head down for the Community Seed Swap! They also have a Farmer's Market with live music every Tuesday evening during the summer. I have yet to attend this, but it sounds awesome. I live right in the neighborhood, after all! On top of helping us so much with this event, they've also offered to act as a drop-off point for produce and canned goods. So bring your extra garden produce to Edward's, and they'll make sure it goes to the right place!
The logistics are still being determined, but my hope is that once gardeners arrive, they will proceed to the informational booth where either I or a volunteer will be sitting. They'll have access to promotional and seed-saving materials, and be asked to fill out a notecard concerning their seeds. My hope is to get people excited and knowledgeable about saving seeds (if they aren't already) and to have a general good time. I hope gardeners will meet each other for the first time!
On that note, I've spent a lot of this week setting up a social network for people involved in or associated with food projects (i.e. community gardens, refugee gardens, donation programs, etc.) in Boise. It's my hope that everyone can talk together, meet, and swap information. There are so many projects going on, and I think they would all benefit so much by being part of a larger community. Kim Metez of the Abundance Project (Another great project to benefit refugees in our area) has helped me out a lot so far. One of the first items on our agenda is to gather these folks for an informal get-together.
So don't be shy... if you'd like to join the network, go to boisegrowers.ning.com and sign up. You don't have to be from Boise at all despite what the name suggests.
In other news, I got the approval today for a concert, fundraising, and promotional event at the Visual Arts Collective (VAC) on May 7th. Keep that date in the back of your mind... I can't tell you much at this point because we are so early in the planning stages, but I can tell you the event is called the Homegrown Hootenanny. With a name like that, how can you go wrong? I mean, honestly?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
MK Nature Center
Yesterday I headed out to the MK Nature Center. I'd never been there before, and I felt pretty important. Though it was actually closed, the intern took time to show me around and let me in to the gift shop. For those of you who haven't been there, it's a really great little place! Very peaceful and educational. There's also, apparently, a 6-foot fish of some kind in the pond. We were trying to spot it, but it's hard to peer through the murky waters.
The reason for my visit was their gracious offer of land for community gardens! Ideally they would love to see a vegetable garden there. It's a really nice spot, because it has water access, a gravel path, and a few trellises already in place. Gardeners would need to bring their own tools and don't have public access to the shed. I would love to find some committed people in the area who would love to grow a vegetable garden in 2010.
Obviously there are still some details to be worked out including liability waivers, etc. But please contact me if you or someone/some group you know would be interested in this area! I would love to see a garden flourish here, and get you in contact with the correct person. bparham@idahofoodbank.org, 208-336-9643 x 246
The reason for my visit was their gracious offer of land for community gardens! Ideally they would love to see a vegetable garden there. It's a really nice spot, because it has water access, a gravel path, and a few trellises already in place. Gardeners would need to bring their own tools and don't have public access to the shed. I would love to find some committed people in the area who would love to grow a vegetable garden in 2010.
Obviously there are still some details to be worked out including liability waivers, etc. But please contact me if you or someone/some group you know would be interested in this area! I would love to see a garden flourish here, and get you in contact with the correct person. bparham@idahofoodbank.org, 208-336-9643 x 246
Monday, February 8, 2010
Community Seed Swap!
Mark your calenders!
The date has been set for the first ever Community Gardens of Idaho Community Seed Swap! Head on over to Edward's Greenhouse on March 27 to kick off the 2010 growing season. Meet fellow gardening enthusiasts, learn about what grows best in this local climate, and learn invaluable information on biodiversity and the importance of seed saving.
More details to follow! Keep this date open!
The date has been set for the first ever Community Gardens of Idaho Community Seed Swap! Head on over to Edward's Greenhouse on March 27 to kick off the 2010 growing season. Meet fellow gardening enthusiasts, learn about what grows best in this local climate, and learn invaluable information on biodiversity and the importance of seed saving.
More details to follow! Keep this date open!
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