By Rebecca Martin
For years, I have been working with Megan Weiss of Kingston Cares out of the Everett Hodge Center. The garden space in front had caught my attention as a potential location to create a garden to grow food and to use as a showcase in the neighborhood to inspire others who might wish to do the same.
Today, the front garden thrives due in part to donations from the Bruderhoff Church Community (with a fence to mark a clear boundary) and “The Dig Kids” Urban Farming Program (created by the Kingston Land Trust) where five youth were paid in 2011 to work with Farmer Jesica Clark, a first generation organic farmer and the creator of the South Pine Street City Farm in Midtown, Kingston. (Have you seen the garden lately by the way? The sunflowers in the center are enormous!)
Back to Megan. At only 25 years old, she has the wisdom of an elder with the children. I don’t know how many are aware of the impact she has made, though soon I have a hunch that is all about to change.
Larry and I were offered a performance as part of Laura Hartman’s wonderful Jazz Series that takes place at Stella May Theater off of Greenkill Avenue right around the time I learned that Kingston Cares was losing its funding come September. I suggested that we do a benefit for them to literally ‘buy’ a little time.
What started as a simple concert has now grown due to a relationship struck between Stella May and the Ivan Lajara of the Daily Freeman after the civic engagement panel took place in July. With live streaming of the event being a success, ‘The Freeman Sessions’ was created.
I hope you’ll try to make it to support Kingston Cares on Tuesday night – and to enjoy an evening of warmth and music. Thanks to the Freeman Sessions, however – if you cannot get out that evening you can watch it at home. Please consider making a donation.
For more, read all about it in the DAILY FREEMAN – an excellent piece written by Paula Ann Mitchell.