On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA December 2016 - January 2017 | Page 5

As 2016 Comes to a Close, PAR Plans for 2017 BY A S H L E Y H O DA K S U L L I VA N upcoming EVENTS Connect: GWA @ Landscape Ontario Congress 2017 10 to 11 a.m., Wednesday, January 11 Region VII Connect Meeting | Etobicoke, Ontario ••• Connect (& More): GWA @ MANTS 2017 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 11 Region II Connect Meeting | Baltimore ••• As GWA Foundation’s Plant a Row for the Hungry program closes its 21st year, harvest donation totals are coming in from PAR committees across the country. As we wait for final totals, we thank the more than 200 local committees that make this wonderful program possible. Want to get involved? Now is the time to start planning. Here are some steps to begin your own local PAR committee: STEP 1: Enlist a Network Recruit volunteer participants. Volunteers may include Master Gardeners, garden clubs, food pantry volunteers or local gardeners wanting to support their community. STEP 2: Plan Your Campaign To begin planning, set a coordination session 10 to 12 weeks before the planting season. Ask the food bank representative to describe the need for produce and what garden produce is wanted. Coordinate planting and goals with volunteers. With a plan in place, now the real work begins. Here’s how a typical PAR campaign looks: • • • • Create an attention-getting launch for the campaign. Give away starter kits. Publicize the need to Plant A Row. Ask Cooperative Extension Services, community gardens, churches, schools, garden clubs, businesses and even food banks to start Plant A Row gardens. As harvest season advances: • Organize gleaning opportunities from home gardeners, orchards and truck farms. Have them donate produce directly to qualified food distribution agencies. Get receipts for your donors. • Call your food distribution agency partners weekly to ask for donation reports. • Celebrate and publicize the donations. • Announce a final harvest date for your campaign. STEP 3: Publicize Your Campaign Publicity is the key to success, so the first move is to publicize everything you do. Share your stories with local media and your social networks. Also, be sure to let the GWA Foundation know what you’re up to at [email protected]. Download the official PAR logo. STEP 4: Celebrate the Harvest Starting at midseason, enlist the media in building to the harvest party and cut-off date for recording donations. As the garden season peaks, the weekly totals will climb dramatically; so, don’t give up on reporting the totals. It takes a newspaper, radio or TV host very little space to report climbing totals. Then, wrap up the campaign at the cut-off date with a harvest party. To get started today, please call us at 877-492-2727. Learn more about starting your PAR committee here. GWA Foundation has PAR materials available for committees, including PAR brochures and row markers to denote your PAR gardens. For questions or additional information, contact us at 877-492-2727. Connect: GWA @ NCNLA’s Green & Growin’ 2017 Show 6 to 7 p.m., Thursday, January 19 Region IV Connect Meeting | Greensboro, North Carolina ••• Connect: Botanical Treasures in Fort Worth 1 to 5 p.m., Friday, January 27 Region V Connect Meeting | Fort Worth, Texas ••• Connect: GWA @ 2017 Northwest Flower & Garden Show 6 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, February 23 Region VI Connect Meeting | Seattle ••• Frida Friday at Tucson Botanical Gardens 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, March 10 Region VI Regional Meeting | Tucson, Arizona ••• GWA @ Canada Blooms Saturday, March 11, 2017 Region VII Regional Meeting | Toronto, ON More information coming soon! ••• GWA @ Chicago Flower & Garden Show 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 18 Region III Regional Meeting | Chicago S AV E T H E D AT E ••• 2017 GWA Annual Conference & Expo Friday, August 4 – Monday, August 7 Buffalo, New York ••• NextGen Summit 2017: Rising Tides in Horticulture Saturday, September 16 Charleston, South Carolina 5