The idea is not very complicated. Neither is it original. It's just needed now and you're the one who can help.

If you've already been growing and donating surplus produce to a special group of your choice, congratulations. You deserve credit for your efforts. In all likelihood, you know what we're talking about.

The overwhelming satisfaction of reaching your own goals while helping others as well is available to all of us.

Think about it. Use your imagination to picture it in your mind. Think how excited you'll feel planning your garden. Think how relaxed you'll become working in the garden helping mother nature do her thing. Think how satisfied you'll be sitting down to dinner prepared with vegetables you planted, raised and harvested in your own backyard. And finally, think of the homeless and low-income people in your area sitting down to their dinner eating those same vegetables you planted, raised and harvested.

Just imagine how wonderful you'll feel. And just imagine how they'll feel getting nutritious and balanced meals for themselves and their children.

You'll probably feel appreciative as well. Appreciative that you've been given the opportunity to help those people that really need your help in such a rewarding way.

And, if you get enthusiastic over the idea, try to think on a larger scale. You might want to coordinate the contributions of a neighborhood, civic or church group of other gardeners. You could even provide start up assistance, help coordinate production plans and contact members regularly to deliver a group contribution to a Second Harvest food bank. That would mean even more fresh produce for the less fortunate and generally more good will for people all around. For all involved.

But just suppose, however, that you're unable to supply fresh produce to help provide quality meals for those needing them. 

How else could you help out?

There are several ways you can help. You could make a tax-deductible cash donation. If you're a gardener, you could make a tax-deductible cash donation as a percentage of the value of vegetables you harvested for your own use. When available, you could use Gardener's Friend to track your yield and then calculate your percentage for contribution. It's that simple.

You could also volunteer to help at a local food bank. Maybe you might prefer to volunteer to prepare a meal at a local soup kitchen. Another choice would be to participate ion or coordinate a local group effort at vegetable canning, jellies, etc.

And, of course, your non produce contributions would be welcome as well.

And so will we. Please let us know your plans to follow the "Seed to Feed" concept in the Internet community when you e-mail us. And, please, don't forget to follow-up after you make your contributions in the Fall. We'd love to hear from you then also.

Is there anything else you can do to help?

You bet there is. This Gardening Primer is from Version 2 of a long term commitment to use the Macintosh and HyperCard to help others in need. Please send along your gardening information, programs, graphics, ideas, etc. that you would like to see used or referenced in a future version of Gardener's Friend. As mentioned in the introduction, my plan is to get the HyperCard stacks converted to commercial programs so they may be more widely available. Maybe you could help there as well. Either way, your contribution is appreciated.

Remember, we have the power to be our best with the Internet. Let us join hands and use that power to do some things worthy of our best effort.

Thanks and Best Wishes,

Bill Haggerty