What a day,what a day!!!

Food distribution has really picked up with the warm weather and the increase in produce.  Yesterday we had 79 families.  When we got there at 10AM there were already over 55 people waiting for tickets. We had two truck loads of food that was cleaned out by the time the last people were coming through. I had thought with the new influx of produce that we might not being going down to Hillsville Farmer's Market this year. Not so. We'll need that produce as well. Vicky is predicting we'll hit a100 families soon. Valerie says 120.  Each time we see five or six new families. Thanks to our two RU guys Ian and Ronnie we had enough hands.

Thirty families have signed up for the container gardening project. We'll be ordering the containers by the end of the week and Kayla and I have been working out how much of what seedlings to buy. We had pretty much decided not to do leaf plants but an article in the Roanoke Times this AM points out that leaf lettuce does very well in containers, grows quickly from seed, and can be replanted during the growing season. We may have to rethink that one.

Watch for an article on Food Distribution. Amy Matzke-Fawcett from the Roanoke-Times Current was there.  A very nice person. Talked with me and Vicky and shoppers who were willing to talk.  May is our one year anniversary for start up and the Current plans to run an article on what we've done. Watch for it and I'll put a link to it in the blog.

In the meantime Eric Bucey (director of programs in Pulaski and one of the original founders with me) and I have been working on an application for 6 Summer Associates from AmeriCorps VISTA.  This was due Wednesday and we got word Friday we were awarded them. These people will be with us for two months.  Radford will get three and Pulaski three.  The Radford SAs will be working with the container gardens, helping with food distribution, and Belle Heth/McHarg Summer Program.  The three in Pulaski will help with TIES ( more on that ) and MeadowView.