Read and see below where your members were volunteering at Stoneleigh or visiting gardens that benefit from the PCGCA Fertilizer Fund:

Stoneleigh  Volunteering– September 20

Seven of us arrived with diggers to remove weeds and clippers to remove vines—Sandy Beale, Eileen Longacre, Bonnie Buchak, Presley Schwinn, Sally Bauer, Wyn Coghlan and Connie Stelzenmuller.  We were rained out on our regular first Tuesday of the month and this was our fill-in date.  It was a beautiful, dry fall day.  We usually have Lindsey working with us from Stoneleigh, but there have been some reassignments and we now have Kirsten.  A big thank you to The Gardeners who were able to volunteer this week.  We always get a big thank you from Stoneleigh’s horticulture folks.  They are so appreciative for the work that we can do.

The new Bodine Water Garden, The Gardeners, Sam Nestory and Research, Presley and Eileen

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PCGCA Business Meeting at Fertilizer Fund Site–Las Parcelas—in the Norris Square, Kensington Neighborhood

There were 20 of us in this luscious garden for a  PCGCA Business Meeting. It amazes me what neighborhoods can do with the help of small grants which included the Philadelphia Committee of the Garden Club of America.  Although we met in one garden, there were other gardens–one devoted to the African Puerto Rican diaspora, another just for Saturday open market days– selling not only produce from the gardens, but cultural arts and crafts.

The Puerto Rican community not only worked hard to grow their gardens and promote their ethnicity, but they also devote time to preservation of their community.  A structure representative of “grandma’s” (abuela’s) house was in the garden. The Fertilizer Appeal is out and you will hear more from our rep Lyn Marinchak.  Personally, I am always investigating where the money goes when I give to a charity.  You can be sure that giving to the Fertilizer Fund of the PCGCA is well investigated and targeted to Philadelphia. Small PCGCA representatives will travel the circuit to the different grant sites to confirm that your support is what the grantee promised.