Search The FAQ

SFG is all over the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 11 June 2009 13:13

Q: Hi Mel, I thought you might like to see this evidence of how far and wide your SFG method has spread (see article below). Avista is our natural gas and electricity utility here in IDAHO, and they have a SFG Employees' Garden to help the needy. My April SFG class went well and I have some confirmed converts. I hope you are well and happy. Harriet

Avista Employees Growing Ties to the Community
Employees create community garden that will provide fresh produce for local low-income families.

Spokane, Wash.: Avista (NYSE: AVA) employees are turning a one-acre plot of land at the company's northeast Spokane headquarters into a community resource that will provide fresh produce for local low-income families.

Twelve Avista employees known as the Green Thumbs are donating their time to develop and manage a raised 50-bed community garden along a portion of the company's headquarters campus. The entire harvest of fresh vegetables will be donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank, which will distribute the produce this summer to low-income families throughout Spokane County.

Using the "Square Foot Gardening" method, it is estimated that the garden will yield around four tons of produce during the growing season or the equivalent of nearly 6,000 meals. The total value of the produce is expected to be more than $13,000.

Anne Marie Axworthy, director of community relations and public affairs for Avista, said the community garden was created as part of an effort by Avista to make a portion of its Mission Street campus available for a community-focused activity. It has also served as a mechanism to deepen the company's investment in its neighborhood.


A: Dear Harriet: Really good to hear from you again ! Do you have any photos from your class you can share with us ? The more we show people giving classes around the world the more it encourages others to do the same.

Avista Is A Model
Thanks so much for passing that news on to me, it's a great story and they could be a perfect model for all kinds of organizations or employee groups. I went to their Website and hope to contact them soon to develop more of their story. Just think if we could write their experiences up in a article with pictures, this could be sent out to many other different groups as a suggested employee or member activity.
Keep Spreading The Word
Thanks for the Avista story. I'll send you a copy of my letter to them and keep you posted.

Best Wishes, Mel B.


CORPORATION COMMUNITY GARDEN
Mel's Letter:
To: Anne Marie Axworthy Director of Community Affairs for AVISTA Corp.

Dear Anne: I recently had a very wonderful letter from a Square Foot Gardening fan who told me all about your gardening project. She suggested that I write you and see if there is any way that we can help you. I visited your website and saw the description and thought that more companies should know about this project.
YOU CAN BE A NATIONAL MODEL
It is certainly something that can be done at any location in the country and I'm thinking that if a company gets behind their employees and offers the space and support this could spread all over the corporate world. I'm wondering if you are aware of any other companies doing something similar.
HOW DID IT ALL GET STARTED ?
How did you think up this project ? Was if from an employee's request or something that was read in an article somewhere ? Wouldn't this make a wonderful article in Time Magazine. Our Foundation is located in Eden, Utah and I'm wondering if our power company knows about a project like this. Of course, it is not limited to a power company, it is only limited by the location where two or more people get together for either work, socializing or humanitarian endeavors.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
What could our Foundation do for your organization and, in particular, for the volunteers that are manning the gardens ? I'm assuming you have all of our books and videos, so my main question is: How could both your company and our Foundation benefit and help others from your project ? Would you please encourage all those that are involved to visit our website at www.squarefootgardening.com. If you would send us some pictures we could include them on our website. I look forward to hearing from you.     Yours truly, Mel Bartholomew