Our Grow Appalachia family in Lincoln and Logan sent two teams to the Try This conference in June. We just learned that both teams were successful in earning minigrants planned at the conference. For this week’s blog from Logan we share the new project from the Man team that included our Grow Appalachia VISTA and garden mentor Bea Sias. This was Bea’s first grant proposal and we congratulate the team on their success. Here is the summary of our proposal: Fighting Poverty with Produce is a project by the partners in the Man community of Logan County to introduce a farmers market at community events in the area. Our activities will include: • Increase the number of raised beds at Man Middle School from four to six • Provide Junior Master Gardener workshops to students in summer and area after school programs • Pilot a farmers market at a community yard sale, summer program celebrations, and at the Buffalo Creek Memorial Library The area designated for planting will consist of raised beds that are 6 ft. long and 2 ft. wide, made of untreated lumber in the shape of a box. We currently have 4 raised beds and would ne able to expand to 6. The material for the 4 raised beds were donated by Man Elementary and soil by McNeely’s Hardware in Man, WV and Ellis Supply of Accoville, WV. We need untreated lumber, enough for 2 more raised beds, also top soil and fertilizer. The beds are 4 rows high and made with untreated lumber and it would take about 16 bags of topsoil to have sufficient amount of soil for each bed. We would plant a variety of vegetables in the beds. We would sell produce to individuals. We need scales, paper bags, garden tools, plastic netting and possibly other supplies. Our summer program at Man schools will include Junior Master Gardener instruction of which Grow Appalachia’s Logan grant will cover $1600 and we ask for $500 in match. We plan to have huge yard sale the Middle school in Man and rent spaces for $10.00, to individuals and we will sale produce at this event. We would also sale homemade pastries, cakes and candies and other items. The money we would make off produce we would put aside to do the same event each year.