There is just something about this time of year!!! Daffodils are blooming, trees are budding, and frogs serenade us all night long. It’s a season of rebirth and renewal, a reawakening of the soul. This year, I am even more excited for Spring, and the opportunity to safely see our ever growing Grow Appalachia Family. Just as last year, we are confined to virtual trainings and drive thru pick-ups, but it is extremely nice to visit, see smiling faces, bump elbows, catch up and exchange air hugs.

The community that Grow Appalachia builds is a special one. One that is diverse and robust, warm and caring, and inspiring. But most important, one that supports everybody. It is so nice to feel that support each and every time we have a drive thru distribution. You can see the appreciation on their face and feel it in every word they speak. This year, I am blessed to receive the support of members time as they help with distributions. Those evenings can be very chaotic, making sure everyone gets the plethora of handouts, seeds, plants, and equipment. Thanks to participants like Karen Watts, Nadine Waddell, Allison Hoover and Sarah Kate Morgan, those evenings run like clockwork.


2021, is a year of expansion, our program not only added another community, but we enrolled more new families than ever before. That new population is one with little knowledge of Grow Appalachia or the Settlement School. Regardless though, we still have that same community, that truly cares for one another, and that I am proud of.