Friday, January 25, 2013

Feel Good Friday - Katie's Krops

Like Meryl Streep, we're out of Africa this week and heading over to South Carolina.  Although no windmills are involved this time, it's another story about a young person who is much more mature and motivated than I was when I was a kid.

When Katie Stagliano was 9 she brought home a tiny cabbage seedling home from school as part of the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program.  She tended to her cabbage and cared for it until it grew to an amazing 40 pounds. Knowing her cabbage was special she donated to a soup kitchen where it helped to feed over 275 people.  Moved by the experience of seeing how many people could benefit from the donation of fresh produce to soup kitchens, Katie decided to start vegetable gardens and donate the harvest to help feed people in need.

It's 5 years later and Katie's Krops has 51 gardens in 21 states!  Not only that, she is the youngest recipient of the Clinton Global Initiative's Global Citizen Awards.  That's a lot more accomplished than I was at 14!

If you've got a green thumb and are between the ages of 9-16 (or know someone who is) you can apply for a grant from Katie's Krops to start a garden of your own and deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to food banks in your community.

It's time to start digging!


No comments: