Operation Plant a Row: More starfish. Mas semillas.

And so I showed them where to stand, a few feet apart along the row.  My friend, David of the Plant a Row, was back to help yet again (we first spread the compost from two bins in a trench in the row and then covered it up with the soil we double dug last week).  There were four little girls who spoke no English and all had long, dark hair and big, broad smiles.  I showed them how to cup their hands (like my daughters did with the sunflower seeds--remember that? See As If Everything Is a Miracle), and I put seeds in them, first Austrian winter peas.  As I went down the line, my head down as I took handfuls of seeds out of the bag, I saw a pair of hands that were rugged and thick, cupped and ready for seeds, and I realized one of the dads had joined the row.  At the end of the row I saw a pair of elderly hands, cupped and ready as well, and I realized one of the grandmothers had joined.  

I showed them how to toss them onto the 25'-foot Plant a Row, and they did, laughing along with me at what fun it was, how freeing it felt, how joyful.  As I went to get the second of four bags of different cover crops (the remaining ones were crimson clover, hairy vetch, and a brassica mix), I said, sort of to myself, "How do I say more?" and I heard a mom along the edges say, "Mas." 

"Seeds?" I asked, and she answered, "semillas."  Mas semillas.  Mas semillas.  I walked down the line, the children and father and grandmother cupped their hands and smiled as I said, "Mas semillas!" and then they tossed.  Back to the front of the line I went, proclaiming "mas semillas" two more times and filling hands.  The cupped hands of the little girls came quickly now.  The first girl, who had clutched her first batch of seeds and not thrown them until I came by with the second and encouraged her, now threw them immediately, proudly, looking at me and smiling afterwards.

All done with planting (if you could call my wild tossing method that), it was time for "agua."  The children all took a turn watering the Plant a Row, along with the dad and the grandmother.  David tossed more seeds on the end that had gotten sort of skipped. I watered the other beds while other people picked the hot peppers and the first of the fall greens.  I got into big conversations with two English-speaking food pantry clients, both elderly.

I was going to give you all kinds of facts about hunger in the United States today--you know, things like 1 in 4 Americans are food-insecure now and more than half of them (9.6 million) are children.  Looking at worldwide hunger, I can hardly even start to talk about the 750,000 people in Somalia who are starving to death right now as I write this.  But perhaps the facts and figures are just numbers to many of us now, about which we feel we can't really make a difference.

You know the old starfish story, don't you?  A grandfather and grandson were walking along a beach at low tide.  The grandfather kept tossing starfish back into the ocean so they would have a chance at not dying.  The grandson said, "Why bother?  They're most likely going to wash back up on the shore and die.  It won't make a difference."  The grandfather tossed another one and turned to his grandson and replied, "It might make a difference to that one."  When those little girls looked up at me, that's how I felt.  Period.  And frankly, I don't need to think another moment about why the Plant a Row is a good idea.

Good ole' Elmo (my older daughter's favorite Sesame Street character) and the gang at Sesame Street have a one-hour special about hunger on October 9 (here is a short clip about it).  Also, there is an online game called Spent that is pretty darn brilliant for putting you in the decision-making mindset of someone in need very quickly.  Also, see this gripping infographic put out by Good magazine just this morning about food insecurity.  What's important to know?  There are people in your city, mostly children, who are hungry every day.  Your Plant a Row could help.  

There is still time to get your Plant a Row 2012 going now, even if it's just covering an existing plot or new space to be cultivated with leaves or cover crops for the winter.  This is what cover crops are.  You can get cover crops in Atlanta at Farmer D's (scroll down on that post for a picture of his cute shop) (tell Keren, pictured, or Brent that Pattie sent you, and if you are growing for those in need, you'll get a 10% discount), or order cover crops online here.  Just get one or two types to keep the cost down (and to those who bought my book, thank you.  I'm donating a portion of the proceeds from every book sold to plant food for those in need, and I bought these cover crops because of you). Online, you usually have to buy it by the pound but don't need very much, so share with friends, neighbors, and your local community garden's food pantry team.  (If your community garden doesn't have a food pantry team or space dedicated to growing for those in need, consider starting the effort.  If not you, who?  If not now, when?)

More fresh, healthy food grown by people working together.  More parents and grandparents feeling hope for their children.  More small steps that make a difference (this I know for sure).  More starfish.  Mas semillas.

If you're new to my blog, and the Plant a Row 2012 effort, welcome.  This single post (and links) will catch you up. 

Pictured are my older daughter's hands, with sunflowers from the As If Everything Is a Miracle post.  We will plant some of these seeds in the food pantry garden next summer.  And we will watch food, community, knowledge, and the connections between cultures and generations, grow.

Operation Plant a Row: More starfish. Mas semillas.