Community Garden Celebration and Donations Needed for Grad Bag

Ten years ago, a small but determined band of Scarsdale High School students broke through the first layers of sod and formed a vegetable bed. They visited Yale and explored their garden, and hoped one day to have a pizza oven and picnic tables just like them. Well, they have picnic tables now, a much larger garden...and plenty of good will, sustainability ethics, and devotion to duty.

The main mission of the Scarsdale High School Garden Club, lead by teacher Mrs. Favretti, has remained the same all these years: to provide healthy organic food to local soup kitchens and food pantries (this year, Grace Church and Eastchester Community Action Program). Each year since 2011, they have achieved their goal of at least 1500 pounds of food donated.

At the same time, the garden is an outdoor classroom and gathering place. At least one teacher in each department (and in some departments many more) uses the garden for instruction. Whether it's observing, measuring, labelling, photographing, harvesting, investigating, testing, working, problem solving- students are the beneficiaries. The gardeners are learning a whole host of skills beyond being able to produce a large quantity of food with nothing but seeds, soil, water and sun, and everyone enjoys the picnic tables and benches on pleasant days.

The club would like to invite the whole community to consider volunteering in the garden in the summer months. They have had volunteers ages 5 to 95, and many in between. The summer months can be tough for the garden, but with volunteer help the club can get through and not waste food that can be donated. They need weeders and harvester/donators!

Everyone is also welcome to enjoy the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Potluck Picnic and Work Day, May 20 from 10-3 at the SHS Garden and room 2N5. Sign up by contacting Maggie Favretti, mfavretti@scarsdaleschools.org, 914-721-2567. If you are a Yale alum, please also register through Yale Day of Service online!

Grad Bag is looking for donations!

Grad Bag is a green initiative to re-use dorm supplies. They collect, clean, package and re-distribute dorm room items to soon-to-be college students who don't have the means to buy these things on their own.

Grad Bag is collecting used dorm room items and college graduation is around the corner. Do you know a college senior (or any student) who is moving out of a dorm room? Don't throw those XL bed sheets away!

They collect directly at colleges in addition to local efforts. Grad Bag is currently looking for gently used linens, storage boxes, lamps, etc. They will take used camp bed linens and blankets as well.

For more information please contact: liz@gradbag.org or tara@gradbag.org and check out their website, www.gradbag.org.