The following donors have made gifts to Seedleaf during the last week:

• Donna Redd Elder
• Stella’s Kentucky Deli (for the Dining Out for Good event)
• Lily Brislin
• Sandy Canon
• Barbara Quisenberry

And special thanks for these sustaining donors who make a monthly contribution (this helps us in a big way as we plan our spring/summer programming):

• John Watkins
• Krista Jacobson

We could not offer all our programming without the ongoing help of our volunteers and financial supporters!

We are getting rained out once again on a Saturday. The following events will be postponed:

• Seedleaf 101 (Alternate date/time TBA)
• London Ferrill Community Garden–Rescheduled for May 25th
• North Pole Community Garden–Rescheduled for May 25th

So sorry for the inconvenience, but glad for the rain–enjoy!

It has already happened four times this week–graduates of our Master Community Gardener/Composter trainings have been helping broaden Seedleaf’s reach in tangible ways. Here are some examples:

• Master Community Composter Sherry Maddock offers a home consult for a Lexington resident with questions about gardening and composting (yes–we do this!–contact us: ryan@seedleaf.org)
• Master Community Gardener Andrea Holliger (with special guest John Walker) orchestrate work at the Goodloe Community Garden
• Master Community Gardener Eva Nyerges orchestrates work at the North Pole Community Garden
• Master Community Composter Warren Moore picks up compostable material at the Weekly Juicery and at Town Branch Market and takes that to one of our community gardens

Our volunteers are helping us in an ongoing and meaningful way, helping us sustain our work through a busy season. Thanks so much to you hardworking folks!

More to come tomorrow and Saturday (weather permitting!) Visit our volunteer calendar to see where and when.

Saturday, May 11, London Ferrill Community Garden work at 10:00 is cancelled. Sleep in and thank Mother Nature for the rain once again! Or visit the Farmer’s Market on a bustling Saturday morning.

North Pole Community Garden work will continue as planned from 1:00-3:00. Thanks!

Here’s a link to a recent bit of evening news thanks to ABC 36. Stay classy, you hens!

And don’t forget to mark your calendars for the upcoming CLUCK! Tour de Coops coming up on May 26th. Click this to buy your tickets today!

I have said this quite a bit lately, but it continues to be true: we have a lot to be grateful about. Here is a list of folks who have given gifts to Seedleaf recently:

• Debra Abbott
• John Vanmeter
• StoneBridge Church (Marietta, Georgia)
• Janet Howard
• Sandy Cannon
• Dan and Wendy Rowland

And these folks are supporting us through our indiegogo campaign to make SEEDS a total win again this summer:

• Shawn Burns
• Lindsay Feazell
• Jeremy Midkiff

We could not do all the gardening, cooking, and composting that we get to do without the help of our volunteers and donors. Thanks so much to you all!

Eat and Share

What: Soup’s On, probably a cream of asparagus soup *Yum!*
When: Thursday, May 16, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: Woodland Christian Church
Who: Chef Missy Armstrong, instructor at Sullivan University, with students to assist you. Anyone is welcome, no experience necessary. All supplies and ingredients are provided.
Why: Cooking with community is fun. Learn from each other, create something beautiful and delicious, and share it with a feeding organization.
How: RSVP to karen@seedleaf.org, bring suggested $8 donation and a quart container to take your portion home.

Here’s why Chef Missy is getting involved:
My experience is mainly in baking and pastries, but have always loved anything to do with food. I have been with Sullivan University for 5 1/2 years teaching baking, basic skills and advanced technique. I am wanting to participate in the Soups On event, because I have been hearing so much about Seedleaf and love what all of you are doing to reach people in the community. I am involving my advanced technique class, to give them the experience and to show them how to teach others. 

What: Seedleaf 101
When: Saturday, May 18, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Where: London Ferrill Community Garden
Who: Anyone interested in learning more about Seedleaf
Why: Seedleaf 101 is a volunteer orientation and community education hour. Learn more about Seedleaf’s past, present, and future, and how you can get involved. For current volunteers, it’s a way to deepen and broaden your understanding of all that Seedleaf does. For new or prospective volunteers, it’s an introductory training that will empower you to reach out in your own community.
How: RSVP to karen@seedleaf.org, and consider sticking around to work in the garden at 10:00

Continue sharing as we introduce the next generation to growing, cooking, recycling, and appreciating food. Donate to our Indiegogo campaign and make SEEDS happen this summer. Feel free to share this, in the social media sense of the word. Thanks! 

UK hosts the best breakfast in town, and an opportunity to hear how our volunteers are working to improve Lexington’s food access issues. We hope to see you there bright and early tomorrow!

Here’s what UKAgFirstFriday says about it:

First Friday: May 3
Gorham Hall in E.S. Good Barn on the UK campus
(Free parking available by main door for those w/o a UK parking permit)
7:30 to 8:15 a.m.—Gathering and breakfast
8:15 to 9:30 a.m.—Presentation and discussion

What does it take to keep a community well fed? This month, we are honored to present No Food Goes To Waste, a discussion with Faith Feeds board president Erica Horn and Seedleaf Executive Director Ryan Koch. This program was rescheduled from the February breakfast that had to be cancelled due to a winter storm.

Help us be green. Bring your own coffee mug and name tag.

No RSVP is necessary, but if you would like to help us plan (and we do appreciate that), you can respond by replying to this email or through Facebook.

Bring your appetite, your coffee mug, and your curiosity.

And remember, if you don’t have an ‘E’ parking permit, please park in the small lot in front of the main door. If that lot fills up, we will have parking permits available for you.

After an action-packed weekend we didn’t want to miss a chance to thank a steady volunteer who recently became a donor too. John Vanmeter gave a financial gift this week, and we are very grateful for this–thanks so much, John. And way to mulch that row of potatoes!

We are also pleased to add that we now have four Sustaining Donors–contributors who are helping us nourish communities by giving a monthly amount through the year. This helps us as we plan for a robust summer! Click here if you would like to join this group of monthly supporters–increments of any size are more than welcome!

So happy spring, and thanks so much to all our volunteers and donors who work hard to help us keep our gardens productive!