By: Kathryn Engle

I am so sorry to be so behind on the blogs lately. I just finished my first year as a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky and April and May just seemed to get away from me.

We have made amazing progress on the Lend-A-Hand Center Grow Appalachia Gardening Program since my last update. We are working with about 20 families in Knox County, Kentucky, as well as three community gardens. We have also made tremendous progress starting a farmers’ market.

One major aspect of the program that I worked hard on especially in April was marketing.

Pepper flier2

Recruitment Flier

I have found that this Grow Appalachia program is sometimes hard to describe in an “elevator speech.” Marketing is a very important aspect of the program especially when connecting with partner organizations or recruiting participants.

Bville Comm Garden Mtg Flier2

Flier for the Community Garden Meeting

I have found that marketing publications are helpful not only for getting the information out there about your program but also getting things down in writing helps you conceptualize your program yourself. When you make a press release, flier, brochure, or some other publication, it really helps you zero in on the important aspects of the program or event.

collage2

Collage

I worked a long time on a brochure for the Lend-A-Hand Center Grow Appalachia Gardening Program. I tried to hit all the highlights of the program and have contact information readily available. I put the dates of our workshops and meetings also. It’s important to have pictures throughout and to keep things balanced.

Here is the brochure that I came up with:LAH GA Brochure Sp14 5.4.14. It is a very useful tool for getting information out about the program, soliciting help, and providing information about meetings and contacts.