Mosaic Gardens Call For Committee Members & Volunteers!‏

Happy Leap Year 2016!

With a very busy garden season ahead, Mosaic is going all out in its quest to recruit garden committee members and volunteers!  Meetings will be held once per month, beginning mid-March (day and time TBD).

Here’s what we have in store for the 2016 season and as a garden committee member/volunteer, here is what you can be a part of and the great part about it is that there is NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED.  Our experienced committee members will provide you with the tools and knowledge needed to help others:

Mosaic is building its newest community garden at Barth Elementary School located on the west side of Pottstown – There will be approximately 20 additional garden beds available for families in the Pottstown area to learn, grow and enjoy more fresh produce at a fraction of the cost in local grocery stores!  There will also be several beds to be used as an educational tool for the students who attend the school!  We need your support in the following areas:

• Disseminating information about the gardens to the families who live within walking distance of the school located at 467 West Walnut (late-March).  Information to include membership packet, construction timeline and committee contact information.

• Assistance in recruiting volunteers (families, school students, churches and corporate volunteers) to lay top soil and mulch, assist with building a shed and to create the 20+ garden beds being built (early-April).

• Speakers and organizers needed for information sessions, workshops and summer activities.  Information sessions will take place in April, workshops and summer activities will be scheduled throughout the entire growing season (May-October).

Mosaic’s two downtown community gardens and its permaculture garden will be up an running, providing more opportunities to educate and support families than ever – Our existing 50+ garden beds will be available to families again this year for planting more, learning more and enjoying more of the produce grown each year!  We are looking to provide families with support and additional education in order to become the great gardeners they dream of being! 

• Assistance in recruiting volunteers (families, school students, churches and corporate volunteers) to lay top soil and/or mulch throughout the already established garden beds and perimeter beds (early-April).

• Turn compost in order to sift out and lay the ready-to-use compost and to aerate other compost from last season at each of the three garden locations (late-April).

• Speakers and organizers needed for information sessions, workshops and summer activities.  Information sessions will take place in April, workshops and summer activities will be scheduled throughout the entire growing season (May-October).

• Produce Cart – We are in need of a few volunteers to run with our produce cart this summer!  Join  this fun activity happening several days throughout the growing season! The produce cart allows us to sell any garden surplus vegetables donated back to the gardens, to teach youth members how to build a business selling produce on a small scale and gives the garden an opportunity to provide area residents with information regarding their health and wellness.

There are plenty great opportunities available for all skill-sets and areas of interest!  Please consider joining our community garden committee or signing up for one or two of our much needed volunteer days!

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? – you ask?  A special gift pack is given to everyone who turns out to be an awesome facilitator, garden committee member or a volunteer event organizer this season! Check it out:

Each new garden committee member who attends 90% of our meetings during the growing season and signs up to support/organize at least two volunteer opportunities will receive a Mosaic Community Gardens T-shirt of their choice, a Mosaic Community Gardens apron, standard tote bag and a beautiful Mosaic mug along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Each volunteer who organizes and rallies a troop of volunteers that provide support in the gardens for one day or more will receive a Mosaic t-shirt, the jumbo Mosaic Community Gardens Garden Ambassador tote bag and a Mosaic CLT car magnet along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Each volunteer who facilitates one informational session or workshop will receive a Mosaic T-shirt and tote bag along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Each person who assists/supports our summer programming for at least 6 of each 2-hour session during the growing season will receive a t-shirt, gardening apron, a JUMBO tote bag along with a chance to win a free Mosaic CLT garden membership at the garden location of their choice for the 2017 growing season!

Our need for additional committee members and volunteers has never been greater, the benefits and rewards have never been better!

Please sign up to support the “growth” of the Mosaic Community Land Trust Community Gardens today!

It’s EASY!  Simply reply to this email or visit our Facebook or website to sign up or to receive additional information regarding all of the opportunities TODAY!

See Ya’ at the Gardens,

MOSAIC CLT

Mosaic Community Gardens Are THRIVING!‏

POTTSTOWN, PA – This Saturday (August 22), Mosaic will roll out its produce stand…offering up some of the season’s best vegetables!  Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, pepper (sweet and hot), eggplant and sweet potatoes will be offered from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.  We will have other surprise offerings for sale on the stand that afternoon.  Please plan to pay us a visit before running your errands or buying from a big chain superstore!

That said, we need donations from gardeners…if you have more produce than you can pick (or eat) please let us know.  We will gladly accept your donations to sell on our produce cart this Saturday!  We will be at the gardens throughout Friday afternoon harvesting for weekend sales.  Please email me if you would like to donate vegetables (grown at your home or the community gardens) to a worthy cause!

In partnership with National Penn Bank and Genesis Housing, Mosaic is set to host another Movie Night at the Chestnut Street Park! KOOKOO the Cartoon Magician will begin the event with a magic show at 7:30 PM that day!  We have a great night planned and EVERYONE is invited!

Mosaic’s Summer Enrichment Program ended with a bang!

80 students ranging from 5-17 years old attended camp and learned more about gardening, nutrition, arts/culture, music and physical activity as each relates to different regions of the world.  In each weekly program, we chose age-appropriate instruction in African-American, Latin, Native American and Caribbean cultures.  The children retained more information from week to week using this well-rounded approach to learning.  They formed “families” and made delicious meals together, played musical instruments some had never seen or played before, harvested items from the gardens that related to the week’s teaching and made instruments specific to each culture using recycled materials.

The summer program ended with an appreciation ice cream social at the high school to celebrate their volunteer efforts at each of the gardens and the local park, and a field trip to the Althouse Arboretum for the younger students was provided…the campers went on an hour-long trail walk/scavenger hunt while learning the reason why arboretums exist.  Some of the students said that having an arboretum in our own back yards is super-cool!

It was a great summer, thanks to all those who volunteered during the program!  A special thanks to our partners and supporters, ArtFusion, Olivet’s Boys and Girls Club, STRIVE Initiative, the Pottstown Athletic Club, Genesis Housing and Penn National Bank!

Mosaic is looking to celebrate the fall season by hosting a fall cleanup potluck social at the gardens!  We will be looking for families to come out, clean up and prepare our gardens for the winter season.  Create your best potluck recipe for this special event! “Bee” on the look-out for more information in an upcoming email…coming in September!

York Schools Get Creative With Cafeteria Food

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  How refreshing to see that there are efforts being made to introduce children to foods other than chicken nuggets and pizza. Great step toward changing a culture that has spawned a childhood obesity epidemic.

Second-grader Tyler Keely thought the pomegranate seeds he popped into his mouth tasted like another fruit altogether.

“It tastes like apple juice but in a gummy,” he said.

Tyler and his classmates at Mount Wolf Elementary School paused their normal classroom lessons this week for a visit from cafeteria manager Wendy Garman, bearing sample-size cups of pomegranate seeds, which she described as looking like “ruby red kernels of corn.”

Before trying the arils, or seeds, the students saw pictures of where the fruit grows in Arizona and California, and passed around a whole fruit and one that was already sliced to see the inside.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_26655979/york-schools-get-creative-cafeteria-veggies

Healthy Family Nights In Pottstown

Healthy Family Nights Coming To Pottstown

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Rep. Mark Painter: Farmers’ Market Vouchers Available For Seniors.

SANATOGA, PA –  State Rep. Mark Painter, D-Montgomery, reminds older residents about a program that provides low-income seniors with vouchers redeemable for fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs at local farmers’ markets.

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides qualified seniors with four vouchers totaling $20 that they may exchange for Pennsylvania-grown produce. Recipients are given a list of participating farmers and farmers’ markets when they receive their checks.

“This program is immensely beneficial for senior citizens to enhance their daily diet with nutritious produce grown right here in Pennsylvania,” said Painter, a member of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

To qualify, recipients must be 60 or older by Dec. 31, with a total household income before taxes of less than $21,589 for a single person, $29,100 for a couple and $36,611 for a family of three, based on 2013 income.

The vouchers will be distributed at the Pottstown Cluster from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursdays and Fridays; and at the Pottstown Senior Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The vouchers, made available through funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, are distributed on a first-come basis.

Painter said constituents with questions may contact his office at 610-326-9563.

Contact: Tom Andrews, 717-787-7895

MOSAIC Community Garden Manager To Facilitate Two Upcoming Workshops

Laura Washington

Environmental Health & Safety Committee

Laura Washington is the Garden Manager for the Mosaic Community Land Trust.  As a certified herbalist, weight and lifestyle coach, and a Level 1 CrossFit trainer, Laura has a passion for organic foods, natural healing and physical activity.  She also serves as a board member for the Pottstown Karate Club.  As a member of the TCN Environmental Health & Safety Committee, Laura conducts organic gardening workshops for the community.  She will be facilitating two upcoming workshops this month.  One will be held on Friday, April 11th at 10:30 am at the Pottstown Seniors’ Center and a second workshop on April 22nd at 6:00pm at the Pottstown Regional Public Library.  “We are proud to have her as a member of the Committee,” stated Robyn Slater, committee co-chair.

Organic Gardending Worshops To Be Held In Pottstown

Laura Washington, Garden Manager for the Mosaic Community Land Trust in Pottstown will hold two organic gardening worships:

• April 11, 2014 at 10:30am – Pottstown Area Seniors’ Center, 288 Moser Rd, Pottstown

• April 22, 2014 at 6:00pm – Pottstown Regional Public Library; 500 E. High Street, Pottstown

These free workshops are presented by the TCN Environmental Health and Safety Committee.

To register call 610-705-3301, Ext 2

Clarion To Suspend Programs, Cut Jobs To Close $8 Million Deficit

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Clarion County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Clarion University of Pennsylvania on Monday announced it will suspend two degree programs, eliminate 42.75 positions and launch several new programs in an effort to plug an $8 million budget deficit that could balloon to $12 million by 2015.

University President Karen Whitney said the moves are designed to position the state-owned university for the future following several years of sharp declines in enrollment and state subsidies.

“At the forefront of this plan is for our students to graduate and succeed in their professional careers, thanks to the marketable skills they learn at Clarion,” Whitney said.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/4960880-74/education-clarion-programs#ixzz2j2581ntI
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Community Gardens Not Only Provide Good Nutrition, But Also The Perfect Exercise

When working in community gardens, participants reap what they sow and more.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah showed that the health benefits of a community garden go far beyond the fresh fruits and vegetables added to your diet.

After studying the body mass index data of 198 community gardeners and their same-sex siblings, spouses and neighbors, researchers found they had lower BMIs than their non-gardening counterparts.  They were also less likely to be obese or overweight.

When a gardener’s BMI, a measure of body fat, was compared to their non-gardening spouse’s BMI, the researchers found no discernible difference.  This led them to conclude that the spouses were benefiting from the harvested food and possibly helped out in the garden.  Results were reported April 18 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/health/community-gardens-not-only-provide-good-nutrition-but-also-the-perfect-exercise-699885/#ixzz2cRI9PsMr

Reading Area Ranked 10th In Country In Heart-Attack Rate

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Doctors in the Reading area scrambled to treat several patients who suffered heart attacks last weekend.

Berks Cardiologists treated six people for heart attacks at the area’s two local hospitals, said Dr. Andrew Waxler, a cardiologist with the Spring Township-based practice.

The number of heart attacks was higher than usual, but hardly unprecedented, he said.

“I can’t say we’re noticing more heart attacks recently,” Waxler said.  “But I can say we are noticing a lot of them.”

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=495585

Buy Fresh Buy Local invites York County Residents To Discover Locally Grown Food And To Support Area Farmers

“Food. 1-buy it with thought, 2-cook it with care, 3-use less wheat and meat, 4-buy local foods, 5-serve just enough… – NARA – 512592 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  We here at Roy’s Rants fully support any Buy Fresh Buy Local program!

York County Buy Fresh Buy Local invites you to learn more about the home grown goodness York County has to offer.

Miller Plant Farm will host the Tastes of York event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 15 with sample goods from local vendors and musical entertainment.

BFBL is about supporting local farmers and growers and helping consumers to un derstand the importance of buying locally grown foods and how to find those local growers.

“Nutrition is tied to freshness. Why buy some thing that is shipped when you can find fresh food grown right here in York County?,” Dave Miller said.

The proceeds from Tastes of York go to sup port Buy Fresh Buy Local and to help pay for the food guide for this year, he said.

Read more: http://www.inyork.com/community/ci_23384025/homegrown-goodness

Penn State Extension Nutrition Links: Teaching People How To Eat Better For Less!

Tuesdays, February 5 – March 12, 5pm-6:30pm

Phoenixville Civic Center, 123 Main St., Phoenixville

Call to register: Dolores Winston 610-933-7728 ext.1

Come for a series of lessons and activities on various topics to help you care and feed your family a healthy diet on a limited budget.  Learn how to prepare low-cost, quick meals.  Develop new cooking and food safety skills.  Try new nutritious foods.  Participants of the Eat Smart Move More program will receive a certificate, cookbook, stretch band for exercising, food thermometer and tote bag upon completion.

Chester To Get First Supermarket In A Decade

Image via Wikipedia

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A southeastern Pennsylvania city will soon be getting its first supermarket in more than a decade, the project of a nonprofit organization best known for collecting and distributing emergency food aid, officials said.

Philabundance announced Friday that it had purchased a mostly vacant building in Chester that housed the city’s last supermarket before it closed in 2001.

In about a year, the organization says it hopes to open a new 13,000-square-foot “Fare and Square” grocery store. Bill Clark, the group’s president, says it is believed to be the first supermarket in the country operated by a food aid group as a nonprofit venture.

Read more: http://www.dailylocal.com/article/20120301/NEWS01/120309982/se-pa-city-to-get-first-supermarket-in-decade

Allentown Wins National Award For Fighting Childhood Obesity

The future of the city’s fruit-and-vegetable green cart is no longer followed by a question mark.

Allentown took home a first-place national award — and a $120,000 grant — for the program, securing its immediate future fighting childhood obesity.

Six cities were honored nationally. Allentown was the only city in Pennsylvania to win recognition for the award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Beverage Association.

“More than 40 percent of our kids are either overweight or obese,” Mayor Ed Pawlowski said. “We are tackling that problem head-on.”

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-obesity-prevention-award-20120118,0,2108514.story

Taco Bell Fights Back Against Claims They Serve “Mystery Meat”

Here is Taco Bell‘s official response to the lawsuit that claims their beef does not meet the USDA requirements to be called BEEF.  AKA “beefgate”.

http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2011/taco_bell/beef_grade/downloads/TB_Beef_ad_FINAL_BW.pdf

Sounds like a counter suit is in the works!

Frivilous Lawsuit Against McDonald’s

This will be a full-fledged RANT!

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is suing McDonald’s because Happy Meals are making children fat because they use “unfair and deceptive” marketing strategies.

Give me a freakin’ break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1.  As a parent, you should totally control what goes into your child’s mouth!  You are the grown-up and you make the rules. PERIOD!

2.  McDonald’s offers healthy alternatives like apple slices, low-fat milk and apple juice.  You don’t have to get a soda and fries.

3.  You can purchase the damn toy without getting a Happy Meal.  They are less than two dollars.  For those of us with grandchildren we bothered to find these things out by simply asking at the counter.  DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4.  My granddaughter is NOT allowed to eat at McDonald’s because her Mommy and Daddy make those decisions (she is not quite four years old).  So Pop-Pop buys Happy Meal toys for her.

5.  The only person making your child fat is YOU by allowing your child to make their own nutrition decisions.  You don’t HAVE to visit McDonald’s.  My granddaughter isn’t leading a deprived life because her parents won’t indulge her every whim!

This is just ridiculous and should never see a court room!  Wasting tax-payer dollars trying to legislate parental responsibilities is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

We give The Center for Science in the Public Interest a big fat raspberry (and no, not the fruit)!