Katie’s Blog

When I was nine-years-old, I had a dream that grew from a 40-pound cabbage. I dreamed that I could grow an end to hunger, one vegetable garden at a time.  With hard work, dedication, and the support of youth across the country, this dream has grown seedling by seedling, harvest by harvest, garden by garden.

To everyone who made a donation to our cause this January at their local BI-LO store, We want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Together, we are creating a bountiful harvest provided to those who need it most.

This is the story of how 802 shoes helped Katie’s Krops grow.  My ten-year-old brother, John Michael, has been by my side from the day my tiny cabbage seedling went into the ground.  He has volunteered in the gardens, supported my efforts and has helped Katie’s Krops grow.  This summer, he helped us grow in the most unexpected way.

It was a Saturday morning in June when my brother and I heard our neighbor, Mr. Appelbaum, on the radio promoting a shoe drive at his Kia car dealership. He was asking for people to collect their old shoes and bring them to the dealership to help people in need.  My brother turned to me and suggested we could help collect shoes.  That is when the idea hit me.  We could throw a Philanthro-Party, a party that gives back!  This idea belongs my great friend, Lulu, the founder of LemonAID Warriors.  The idea behind the party is simple; it is a party with a purpose. We would ask John Michael’s friends to clean out their closets and bring any shoes they no longer needed to the party.  It would be a party that gave back.  And when would we host this party?  Well, why not today!

We got right to work.  It was a sunny Saturday morning, a perfect day for a party.  We hit the ground running. Invitations, we would make those on our computer.  Refreshments, my mom always has cake mix and frosting on hand and I love to bake.  Decorations, my brother broke out the sidewalk chalk and colored the driveway in fun and colorful messages.  The guests, my brother and his best friend would drop off invitations to all of their friends in the neighborhood.  My brother even agreed to part with an I-Tunes gift card that he had received as a gift to give as a prize to the guest who brought the most shoes.

We were off to a great start.  The cake was made.  The invitations had been distributed.  Now it was time for me to step back and let my brother play host for his first Philanthro-Party.  The party was a huge success!  On only 4 hours’ notice, my brother’s friends had gathered bags and bags of shoes. They came, they snacked, they played, they had a great time, and they gave back to help people in need.  It was the perfect party.

That night, my brother gathered his shoe collection and made a surprise delivery to our neighbor, Mr. Appelbaum. What happened next was wonderful and most unexpected.  Mr. Appelbaum was so excited for the help with his shoe drive, that he invited my brother to join him on a radio tour to promote the shoe drive. For those of you who do not know my brother, he is very shy and reserved.  A radio tour is definitely not in his comfort zone.  He rose to the occasion and hit the airwaves, and in the process, he got a lot of laughs and a whole new group of supporters.

The shoes came pouring in, and in, and in.  His teachers showed up at our doorstep with boxes filled with shoes.  Friends called to let us know that bags of shoes were waiting for my brother on their doorstep.  The community rallied around his efforts.  It was amazing.  When all was said and done, my brother had collected 802 shoes, or 400 pairs and 2 odd shoes.

On another Saturday morning, we loaded not one, but two trucks with his massive shoe collection and head to Kia Country of Charleston to deliver the shoes for the Soles4Souls shoes drive.  I was so proud of my brother and his efforts and so was Mr. Appelbaum and his new friends at the radio station. They presented John Michael with six tickets to WWE Raw.  For a ten year old WWE fan, it does not get any better than that!  He was thrilled.  At this point, you would think that this is where the story ends.  But wait, just how did his giant shoe collection help Katie’s Krops grow?

Monster High and Mattel were hosting a contest for the best Philanthro-Party.  I entered on behalf of John Michael, sharing my brothers efforts. WE WON!!!!  His prize was a Monster High prize pack and a $1,000 for his favorite charity….Katie’s Krops!

Thank you John Michael for helping Mr. Applebaum, Souls4Soles, people in need everywhere and for helping Katie’s Krops!  I am so very proud of you. And that, my friends, is the story of how 802 shoes helped Katie’s Krops grow.

           Well, to begin with, the experience was not a story. It was a real experience that was like a story. I got to meet Katie Stagliano! A story in a way, yes, but a real experience too.

          My name is Shawna and I’m 14 years old. I have been involved in Katie’s Krops for 2 years now, and I have enjoyed it very much. When I first heard that I was going to the Katie’s Krops Camp, I was thrilled. I thought, “I get to go meet Katie and learn a few tips on the way.” My thoughts were nothing like what I was treated to at the Katie’s Krops Camp of 2013. Every minute was packed full of exciting new tips and tricks for gardening, talking with 12 other grantees from around the country, and, yes, meeting Katie and her mom, Mrs. Stacy, in person!

Day 1: Pretty awesome!

At our first meeting, campers and Katie’s Krops directors introduced themselves to each other at the Lexington Chamber of Commerce. We then listened to a few directors, Katie, and Ashley Rawl. Then there were the watermelon pirates that accompanied us with our dinner of hamburgers that included all the fresh fixings, several salads, and peaches. After dinner, we went back to our hotel and slept off our weariness.

Day 2: Even better than the first day!

We had breakfast at the hotel, and then hopped on a bus to the Katie’s Krops Garden at WPRawl. We had 4 workshops packed full of information. We learned about irrigation systems, pesticide sprays, composting, and assembling garden carts. We then returned to the WPRawl headquarters to have a delicious lunch of tacos and peaches with homemade ice cream. Yummy! Then we learned about some photography and social media ways to support Katie’s Krops. After taking a hayride back to the garden, we picked the Katie’s Krops dinner vegetables that came in to total over 100 pounds! Next, we returned to the hotel to have time to swim, relax, and clean up until we would jump up the bus steps again to go make the Katie’s Krops dinner. With all of the fresh vegetables donated by WPRawl, we had grilled chicken, pasta salad, bread, roasted veggies, and cucumber salad. For desert, there were fruit parfaits. We got to make and serve the dinner with Chef McNeill, and clean up afterwards too. Then, we all jumped on the bus again, pulled out of the parking lot, were in the middle of the road, and bam. The bus was stuck! Oh well, we all had a great time and did get to the hotel safe and sound. Then, good night every one was the next few words and we all moseyed back to bed.

Day 3: Incredible day!

Today was the last day. We started off the day with breakfast, then heading out to the WPRawl garden. We got to plant sweet potatoes and build raised beds along with planting a few other vegetables and learning different techniques to building a new garden. I loved learning how to plant the potatoes in tires!! Then we had a fun scavenger hunt that made us look for herbs, bugs, varieties of raised beds and specific pollinating vegetables. Then back on the bus to the headquarters it was. There, we had lunch that the Kitchen Crew did an awesome job of preparing and listened to 2 grantees talk about their garden and experience with Katie’s Krops. Finally, we all found out that we had little gift bags. In them were our very own, personal Katie’s Krops business cards!!! We also received some blank thank you cards with the Katie’s Krops emblem on it. And on top of everything that WPRawl had done for us, they donated gift cards to each and every one of the campers to help keep our gardens growing and purchase new equipment that we learned about at the camp!   Then came the sad said goodbyes. Everyone parted ways and went back home.

          The Katie’s Krops Camp has left me even more excited to grow a garden that will produce lots of fresh food for the people in need. More than ever before, I want to be a part of Katie’s dream to help end hunger one vegetable garden at a time!

          I would like to thank WPRawl (www.Rawl.net) so much for all of the time and money that they spent on making this event possible. I don’t think that I would ever had been able to meet Katie and learned so much about gardening if they had not sponsored the trip. The people at WPRawl were very friendly too. With everything that they had to do, they still not only made time for us, but welcomed us into their family business with open arms. Thank you WPRawl!

          Katie and Stacy Stagliano, you deserve a huge thank you! Everything that you did and are still doing is making a difference in today’s world and in mine. You have done so much all of the Katie’s Krops Grantees and for me. Thank you!

What is a Katie’s Krops Dinner?

One, sometimes two, times a month we host a Katie’s Krops Dinner. So just what is a Katie’s Krops Dinner? Why do we host Katie’s Krops Dinners?

Over two years ago a need presented itself in my community. That need was for hot, healthy, free meals for families and individuals facing hunger. The only soup kitchen in our community had to shut their doors for financial reasons. I may have been only twelve years old but I recognized that our local Katie’s Krops Gardens could be the solution to this problem.

What was the solution? Using the harvest from our gardens we could create healthy, hot meals for anyone in need in my home town, Summerville, South Carolina. At Katie’s Krops, we had always donated our harvest to food pantries, soup kitchens and directly to families in need but at that point in time we had never cooked with our harvest. I approached the head of Food Services at my school, Mr. McNeill and my 6th Grade Science teacher, Cory Fuller. Together we created a plan. We would arrange a meal based on the harvest from our Katie’s Krops Gardens. What we couldn’t grow we would need to purchase. Our garden volunteers would help us create the dinner. The very first Katie’s Krops Dinner was born.

That very first night we came together to host a dinner was so very special. My friends and I, under the direction of our Head Chef Mr. McNeill prepared a wonderful meal. We were able to connect with the people that our gardens helped. We took to the kitchen, the majority of the volunteers only in the 6th grade. Mr. McNeill directed us on knife skills and food safety. The guests arrived, perhaps a little surprised to see such a young crew creating their meal. At the end of the night everyone in the kitchen knew that this was the start of something very special.

Over two years have passed since that very first dinner. The premise for the dinner stays the same. Every meal is based on the harvest from our gardens. We harvest the vegetables on the day we serve them, at the peak of nutrition. The meals are prepared and served by youth under the direction of Mr. McNeill, our dedicated Head Chef. Every volunteer who assists with the dinners spends time in the gardens helping to grow the food we serve. Katie’s Krops Dinners are truly garden to table.

Over the course of two years several things have changed. After overcoming several location changes we now serve our dinners at Summerville Baptist Church. The parishioners have welcomed us with open arms and embraced the belief that youth can end hunger one vegetable garden at a time. The number of guest we now serve has grown to an average of 100 per dinner. We never know just how many guests will join us. It is all part of the adventure.

We have an amazing core group of volunteers, our crew. My former 6th grade science teacher and our Head Chef lead our crew as we, in under two hours, prepare a healthy hot meal for 100 people. We have guests that have never missed a dinner. In fact the meals have become a wonderful social event, a way for families who are facing challenges to support one and other.

What have I learned over the two plus years that we have hosted our dinners? I have learned that you can eat healthy on a tight budget. Our dinners are not extravagant, they do not cost a great deal of money but they are healthy, hot and well balanced always including lots of fresh vegetables, protein and a starch. I have learned that no matter how young you are you can make a difference in this world. I have learned the joy that a hot meal can bring to an individual facing hunger. And I have learned how blessed I am to have amazing support from my community, my friends and their parents, my teachers, and my parents.

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?””
William Arthur Ward.

A few months ago I wrote a blog, that I never posted, about the power of the two words, “Thank You”. This morning I was reminded just how powerful those word are. How two words can change the course of events.

 ‘Thank you’. Those two words may be some of the most meaningful and powerful words a person can speak, type, and write. I have an abundance of gratitude for the people who have helped me achieve my dreams. My parents have always instilled in me to be grateful for all we have. It was those words spoken by my father that changed the course of my life at nine-years-old. As we sat down to the dinner table one night my father explained that we should be grateful that we had a healthy meal to eat every night. He explained that there were families who were not able to put food on their tables therefore going to bed hungry. It was at that moment that I decided to donate the cabbage I had been growing to a soup kitchen. I was thankful for what I had, and if I could help someone who did not have enough to eat I wanted to share. Being grateful for what my family and I had changed my life.

I will never forget the day I donated my cabbage to Tri County Family Ministries. There were so many people waiting in line for what may have been the only meal that they would have that day. My 40 pound cabbage drew a lot of attention from the individuals waiting on line. The questions began, “Did you grow that?”, “How big is that cabbage?”, “Is that for us?” The answer was yes, my cabbage was no longer, ‘my cabbage’, it was their cabbage. This cabbage was for them. What they said next made all the difference in the world, they said ‘thank you’. They expressed how grateful they were for what I, a very little girl, was doing for them. Their words were powerful. Their words made what I did next the easiest decision of my life. I started a garden to help to continue to fed the families that were struggling to put food on their tables.

I could never have imagined five years ago how those events would change my life. My gratitude for what I had, their gratitude for what I was able to give them, changed my life. The power of ‘Thank You’ is life changing.

As I move forward in my life I never will forget how powerful those words can be. I know I may never be able to thank everyone who has helped and support Katie’s Krops, but I will try because I know the impact of those two words.

So thank you to everyone who has ever helped Katie’s Krops, thank you for your support and donations, and thank you for believing in a fourteen year old and her dream.