Hello Garden Supporters!

Our first annual Running for Food, Running for Health 5k Fundraising Race on July 28 was the truest definition of success. We had cooler temps, 170 runners, and 60 volunteers to diligently work the course, registration, food fest, and finish line. After the event, we were left with the overwhelmingly gratifying feeling that our FIRST race went so smooth that we are actually excited about our next one! Big THANK YOU to all of the community organizations and individuals that helped us put on a joyful event, including The Merc Co-op, Mainstreet Credit Union, Rev It Up Car Show, Gary Gribbles Running Sports, Farm to Market Bread Co, runLawrence and all of the incredible community members who got up BRIGHT AND EARLY on a Saturday morning out of the goodness of their hearts.

Nancy and I just returned from the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Burlington, Vermont. For four jam-packed days, we were surrounded by 800 of the country’s leaders in the Farm to Cafeteria movement. We were eating, sleeping, and breathing local foods, school gardens, and school meal reform. Inspiration does not even begin to cover the depth of this conference. We are re-empowered to take our program to the next level and to continue working with community leaders to bring us closer to the impressive programs we visited.

We celebrated our 10-week-iversary of our first CSA at the Community Health Building! Sound a little ridiculous? Well, it also happens to be our half way point. We have 10 more bountiful weeks of fresh produce to share with our wonderful subscribers.

Everyone is headed into back-to-school mode around Lawrence. Students are purchasing supplies, teachers are setting up classrooms, and Student Gardeners are harvesting for their cafeteria! The beauty of summer waning (besides this lovely break in temperature) is bringing our harvest directly into the school cafeteria to be enjoyed by students on their lunch plates. Every aspect of our project is rewarding, but enabling students to enjoy produce grown by their peers on school grounds is especially significant for all involved. This week marks the beginning of fresh produce into the West Cafeteria Salad Bar for the 2012-2013 school year.

Your picture is a shot of the Running for Food, Running for Health runners zooming off the start line. It was only a quick 17 minutes before our first speedy runner was back! Take a look a more pictures here!

Hope you are enjoying these cooler days, we deserve them!

Lily - and the entire Growing Food, Growing Health Crew

**These Garden Updates are sent out via email roughly twice a week. If you would like to add your name to our update list, please email Lily@TheMerc.coop with "Add"**