Please note this event has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict. Check back for our new date.
Join us to support Katie’s Krops and have some fun! Flowertown Garden Center in Summerville will be hosting a family fun fundraiser to benefit Katie’s Krops. Carnival games, food, music, a silent auction and so much more. Be sure to mark your
Hope to see you on June 4th!
This week I received an e-mail from a girl in Iowa who had to do a project on how teenagers can change society. She asked if she could interview me for her project. I was very touched that she would want to interview me but I was stumped by one of the questions. What was that question? “What doubts did you have and how did you overcome them?” I had to think a long time about this question. I have to say I have never had doubts about what I was, what I am, doing. I believe that things will always work out, maybe not as I planned but I know everything with will work out. Last week was a perfect example.
Tri County Family Ministries is very special to me. It is the soup kitchen that I donated my 40 pound cabbage to. It was the soup kitchen that started my dream. When I had the opportunity to start a garden at Tri County I jumped at the chance. My Uncle Alec built 4 of the largest, most beautiful planters and delivered them to our house from North Carolina. Into our garage they went (in place of my moms car). The planters are huge and would require a tremendous amount of potting soil. We priced out the soil and WOW! It was going to cost a lot of money to fill my new planters. The planters stayed in the garage and my mom’s car stayed in the driveway. Finally my mom made arrangements to have Tri County come pick up the planters, potting soil not included, yet.
The day before the planters were to be moved to Tri County we received a phone call from my friend Miss. Becky at the Summerville Home Depot. Miss Becky called to tell me that she had bags of potting soil for me, not one or two bags of soil but a whole pallet full of potting soil. I had never mentioned to Miss. Becky that I need that I need soil for the planters. Everything came together and in just a few short months Tri County will have a beautiful harvest of vegetables growing in there planters. My parents may have had doubts that they would never be able to park in the garage again but I never had a doubt that the planters my Uncle Alec built would be ready for spring planting.
So how did I answer the question from the girl in Iowa, “I think that if you believe in yourself and believe in what you are doing doubt will never be an issue.”
Well this short story begins as the weather man tells us about 5 or 6 weeks ago that growing season is over, done, that’s it! I however did not listen to the weather man, I listened to my heart. And what did my heart say, it said that growing season was not over. I did not pull out all of my plants, despite those that told me too. It has been the coldest December on record, here in Charleston, but that did not stop me. Even when it got so cold that the pipes froze, leaving no water at my Pinewood Garden I was not detoured. They are too many hungry people in the Lowcountry & I wanted to, need to, help them. My plants were hearty too; those freezing nights and snow shower we had here in Summerville did not kill my plants. What do I have as a prize from listening to my heart, lettuce, beautiful lettuce. That might not be much of a prize, but it is something, something worth celebrating. I did not listen to the weather man or to those who told me my plants would not survive. So, the moral of this story; listen to your heart. Today I harvested a row of beautiful lettuce that will go to Tri County Family Ministries to feed people in need tomorrow. I am so very happy that I listened to my heart, it never steers me wrong!
My beautiful Bonnie Plants Red Sails Lettuce!
Thanks for the great baskets Miss. Anita!
Last night an unexpected treat came to Summerville… snow!!!! We usually only get snow about every ten years here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, so it is a special treat for us kids when we do. We woke up to a winter wonderland outside. Unfortunatly that meant that all of the vegetables were covered in snow too! Good thing cabbages & brussel sprouts like the cold!
My cabbages collards covered in snow!
While the snow fell…
My little brother enjoying this unexpected treat!
Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors for their support and enabling us to continue to grow our dream! Please review the application carefully and let us know if you have any questions. Before placing your completed application in your mailbox, make sure that you have filled out every page, answered every question, and also included your letter of recommendation. All applications must be postmarked by December 31, 2015, and only applications that are mailed will be accepted. We will NOT accept e-mailed applications. Thank you and good luck to all of you that will be applying!
Receiving a grant from Katie’s Krops is so much more than just funding to start a garden. Youth who receive grants from Katie’s Krops become part of the Katie’s Krops growing family. They grow a healthy end to hunger in their community and positively impact the health of their cities and towns. They have an opportunity to travel to the all-expense paid Katie’s Krops Camp and expand their knowledge of agriculture and giving back. They have opportunities to win scholarships and they are eligible for funds to keep their gardens growing, season after growing season. Youth who receive grants from Katie’s Krops change the world, one vegetable garden at a time.
So how can you become a part of the Katie’s Krops growing family?
Here is what you need to know:
· Once a year, Katie’s Krops hosts a grant cycle for youth, ages 9 to 16, to win a grant to start a Katie’s Krops vegetable garden in their community, where the whole harvest is donated to people in need.
· Grant cycles begin October 1st and close December 31st. Grant winners are notified February. This timeframe is the only time of the year that funding is provided for Katie’s Krops gardens. The grant application will be available on October 1st.
· A child, or a group of children, can apply as long as they fall within the age range of 9 to 16 and live in the United States. We are a youth based initative. All Katie’s Krops are grown by kids.
· Grantees are awarded a gift card to a garden center of their choice in their area, have support from Katie’s Krops, and are given a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest.
Applications for all types of vegetable gardens, such as a container garden if you live in a city or a vegetable garden located in your neighborhood or at your school, will be considered. The grantee decides where the garden will be grown. The grant winners also determine where they will donate their harvest, which is based on the need in their community. As an example, the harvest can be used to support classmates in need, homeless shelters, food banks, or for neighbors in need.
The winners will be awarded a gift card to a garden center in their area (up to $500), support from Katie’s Krops, and a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest. In addition to grant materials, winners will be eligible to attend the all-expenses-paid Katie’s Krops Summer Camp in Pelion, South Carolina, thanks to the generous support of our sponsor WP Rawl. We also award a yearly scholarship for higher education to the grantee of the year. All grantees that complete all grant requirements are eligible for funds to continue to grow, year after year, thereby creating a sustainable solution to hunger in their community.
· Katie’s Krops grant winners are required to start and maintain a vegetable garden for a minimum of one planting season. It is our hope that they will continue on with their garden, season after season, thereby creating a sustainable solution to hunger in their community. Many of our young growers pass their gardens on to siblings and classmates. The passing down of a garden is a wonderful gift and it is a reflection of the spirit of giving that we embody at Katie’s Krops.
· The grantee(s) must donate the entire harvest from the garden to people in need in their community. This may be done through direct donations to families in need or by donating the harvest to soup kitchens or organizations that feed the needy.
· Grantees are required to submit photos and a brief report on their progress, which includes the amount of produce they have grown, volunteers who have helped, donations made, and what they have learned from their experience.
· Grantees and their parent or legal guardians are required to sign a letter agreeing to the above.
· Grantees also must submit a photo release signed by their parent or legal guardian to Katie’s Krops.
We are very proud of the difference our young growers are making across the United States. We look forward to expanding our growing family and reaching Katie’s goal of at least one Katie’s Krops Garden in each of the 50 states. We are more than half way there, and with your help, we can accomplish this goal soon.
The number of grants we award is dependent on donations made to Katie’s Krops. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, or donating the funding for a garden in your state, please reach out to Stacy@KatiesKrops.com.
This was a year that tested Americans’ already-thin patience.
Though we were told that the recession, in fact, ended last year, it was frankly hard to believe. Unemployment refused to budge, the summer and fall were dominated by rancorous midterm elections, and gasoline hit $3 a gallon, just in time for the holidays.
Many of us might be heaving a sigh of relief that 2010 is showing itself the door, but it wasn’t all bad. Despite the gloomy economic news that spread across the globe — and even, in some cases, because of it — people everywhere continued to do incredible, inspiring things.
There were the 33 Chilean miners who thrilled the world when they were rescued alive, miraculously, after 69 days underground. One of the three American hikers detailed in Iran for more than a year was freed.
A group of the richest people on the planet pledged to give away the majority of their wealth to charity. Closer to home, some did great deeds for the benefit of others; some conquered goals that mattered to no one but themselves. Some did nothing more heroic than being good neighbors — no big deal, maybe, but encouraging in its own way.
Here are a handful of our favorite positive stories of 2010, as chosen by AOL’s Good News staff. And a happy 2011 to you all.
1. These Kids Are All Right
Young people continued to amaze us with their selflessness and passion. We came across so many kids with an inspirational sense of mission that we had trouble selecting just a few.
There was Katie Stagliano, a sixth-grader from Summerville, S.C., whose nonprofit, Katie’s Krops, has delivered more than a ton of vegetables to soup kitchens. She tends six gardens — including a football-sized plot given to her by her school — that supply produce to food pantries.
And Zach Bonner, another 12-year-old philanthropist. After Hurricane Charley struck his hometown of Tampa, Fla., in 2004, Zach helped out his neighbors by distributing bottled water and other supplies from his little red wagon. Through his Little Red Wagon foundation, Zach has made advocating for homeless youth his personal mission. This September, Zach completed a 2,478-mile March Across America, which took him from Tampa to Los Angeles and took him more than five months. Just days after finishing the walk, Zach started directing a mini-documentary about ending homelessness for the estimated 1.3 million young people living without shelter in America.
In the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, government agencies, large corporations and relief organizations all mobilized, but in an atmosphere of accusations and recriminations. One 11-year-old girl on Long Island set about saving birds with her paintbrush. BRANDed Management
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 Katie Stagliano, 2010 Garden Crusader Katie Stagliano, 2010 Garden Crusader Katie tends one of the fields in a program called Katie’s Krops. Volunteers at work on Katie’s Krops, which has already provided thousands of pounds of produce to homeless shelters. Can one cabbage feed 275 people? If it weighs 40 pounds and was grown by Katie Stagliano of Summerville, SC, the answer is "yes"! In most respects, Katie Stagliano is a typical 12-year-old girl. She’s in sixth grade, and she loves to play tennis, swim and hang out with her friends. But Katie is not your average pre-teen. Over the last three years she has taken on a challenge that most adults find daunting. To help address homelessness and hunger in her community, Katie started a gardening program called Katie’s Krops, which has already provided thousands of pounds of produce to homeless shelters. And she’s only just begun.
"My ultimate goal is that there are no more hungry children or other people for that matter," she said. "I want to grow food to feed people and to help other people to do that too." In recognition of her inspiring work to feed homeless people in Summerville, Katie has been honored with a Garden Crusader Award from Gardener’s Supply. First, a Giant Cabbage When Katie was just nine years old, she came home from her third grade class with a tiny cabbage seedling. She planted it in her family’s backyard garden and meticulously watered, weeded and fertilized. When deer threatened, her grandfather helped her build a wire cage to protect the plant. The cabbage grew and grew and grew. In late May, when the weather got too hot, Katie harvested the head of cabbage. She was shocked by its size — 40 pounds! She brought the giant cabbage to a local soup kitchen called Tri County Family Ministries. The staff was very impressed with the size of the cabbage. And Katie was very impressed by how many people that one cabbage helped to feed. "The cabbage helped feed 275 people. It was amazing," she said. "That day I knew I could and I should do more to help." Since then she has gotten more involved in her community, and as a result, has come to realize that homelessness and hunger happen to people just like her. "I had never known homeless people before, it turns out they are just like me," she said. Katie’s Krops After growing that first 40-pound cabbage, Katie convinced her school to start a garden. Students in all 12 grades help tend it, and all of the produce is donated to local food shelves. Katie has organized food drives to collect excess produce from home gardens and started a garden at a local homeless shelter. She founded a nonprofit organization, called Katie’s Krops to help fund and promote her projects. The site includes her blog and a CNN interview with Katie. All in the Family Of course, Katie isn’t able to accomplish this without a lot of support from her family. They have a big garden at home, that "just keeps getting bigger and now is kind of taking over the backyard," according to Katie. Her parents started the gardens and they still do a lot of the heavy lifting, tilling and cultivating. "Plus they drive me around a lot," Katie conceded. Now her seven-year-old brother has picked up the community service mantle. He began by helping her plant and water the gardens. Now he has his own project called Pumpkin Mountain. He is growing pumpkins to sell and plans to donate the proceeds to the homeless shelter. With all that Katie has accomplished at just 12-years-old, what does she want to do when she grows up? "That changes every day, I see so many amazing jobs that people do," she said, noncommittally. Then she perked up, "I know I want to continue my garden." Not surprisingly, cabbage is Katie’s favorite crop to grow, but not to eat. "I don’t really like cabbage that much. I’d rather eat broccoli, mushrooms and green beans." |
Disney film crew visits Pinewood garden
By Stefan Rogenmoser
Summerville Journal Scene ®
On Nov. 12 the garden behind Pinewood Preparatory School looked more like a Hollywood movie set than a place to learn. Boom stands, mirrors, reflectors, deflectors, diffusers, big video cameras, microphones on boom stands, a camouflage net and props. A Disney film crew of about 30 people showed up to record the show “Friends For Change.” Disney actors Kelsey Chow and Doc Shaw from the show “Pair Of Kings” were present, as were several Pinewood students, including Katie Stagliano. Crews filmed Kaite and her classmates candidly planting and watering crops with the Disney stars. Director Michael Blum, wearing black jeans and a t-shirt, gathered the class in a group to shout “Friends For Change” after Katie, Chow and Shaw – standing in front— did about five takes of a promotional standup for the show. Between takes Summerville hair stylist Joyce Gilliard and New York make-up artist G.G. Collins – originally from Charleston – touched up the faces and hair of Chow and Shaw. The episode featuring Katie’s Krops is set to air in January. The Friends For Change Grants fund kids’ projects that help the environment and engage children ages 5 – 18 as leaders in their communities. Disney, working with YSA, awards 150 $500 grants each year. Katie is one of its recipients. The show is part of Disney’s “Project Green,” which is focused on the environment, said Bryan Weber of Disney’s Friends For Change. “Katie applied for Disney’s Friends For Change grant. Her story just jumped off the page. We’re here to tell the story of a real kid in action.” “I didn’t imagine any of this would ever happen,” Katie said. “It’s been a wild ride. It’s been a lot of fun. They’re here to highlight the Friends For Change grant, which has helped Katie’s Krops. They’re really awesome people.” Katie said they planted rows of crops and let ladybugs loose to fight off insects that might eat the crops. Katie hopes her actions will inspire other kids to follow their dreams, she said. “My dad always told me not to waste.” Pinewood Headmaster Glyn Cowlishaw said the garden shows how committed the school is to community service. “Katie and others have shown there are people less fortunate than themselves and have produced thousands and pounds of food for them.” Cowlishaw said teachers and students are heavily involved with the garden, which is a “classroom without walls.” “The Friends For Change people have been so helpful,” Stacy Stagliano, Katie’s mother, said. “It’s people like them that make this happen. I’m in absolute awe.” “Katie is very inspiring,” Chow said. “It’s important to let them know you can do so much in the community and around the world.” The Friends For Change promotion has showed kids that Disney actors are no higher than anyone else, Shaw said. “(Katie’s) really mature for her age. I’m glad to see young minds get involved.”
