LINDEMAN: Bless Those Worms!

By BRUCE LINDEMAN
Cape Charles Wave

April 22, 2013

Last year, I got to meet one of the volunteers of the New Roots Youth Garden (NRYG), Tammy Holloway.  Through my story about picking pecans one Sunday morning, Tammy inquired about the location of these trees that were so giving this past year so that the NRYG kids could pick some for the holiday pecan pie sale.

Having watched the NRYG take shape with interest since its inception, I thought that helping those kids any way I could would be fun.  Gardening.  Kids.  Education.  All good stuff.

Then I met Tammy and her husband, Jim, and realized: I really need to help these people!

If you’ve met Tammy, you’ll understand.  She and Jim have quickly become stewards of one of the most amazingly beautiful homes in Cape Charles, now Bay Haven Inn, but also active supporters of all things Cape Charles.  They truly get what this place is all about and have poured their hearts and souls in to making our little town a better place for us all.

CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE

We have a coin dish in our front hallway at home.  It’s in the shape of a giant scallop.  Love me some scallops.

Apparently, this scallop loves coins.  When it fills up, about once every couple of years, I empty it on to the kitchen counter, pull out all the non-coin items (cute notes from my kids, tire valve covers, lint, non-US coins, the twisted-nails mind bender puzzle that my son solved when he was 6 or 7 within the first 15 minutes, and so on) and begin placing the resulting coins in bags.

Last time, we counted up the money, and told the kids we should do something good with it.

So, one evening around the holidays, we happened to stop at a traffic light and there on the corner was a homeless man.  We gave the kids the money we had converted to bills, and they got to hand it to the man.  He was very appreciative, and the kids got to experience the joy of giving.

As the coin tray began filling up this time, I thought, we need to figure out a way to give the money to something or someone with whom we had a connection.  That’s when the NRYG idea popped in to my head.

So this year we walked over to the Holloway home and presented our latest bags of coin tray coins for the NRYG.

Tammy and the other volunteers not only teach the NRYG kids about gardening, but also economics, and the product life cycle from farm to market.  Along the way, those kids are also learning some valuable life lessons.

There are lots of causes in this world.  Everyone these days seems to want our time and/or money.  But any cause that involves kids has a soft spot in my heart.  NRYG is no exception.

In fact, this is a great time of year to help!  Sunday, April 28, is the NRYG’s 3^rd Annual Blessing of the Worms.

Worms?  Yes, worms.  Worms are not just icky, slimy things that come out on the sidewalks when it rains.  They actually do wonders by aerating the soil as they tunnel their way through it, and depositing nutrients our plants use to grow.

All are invited out to the NRYG at the corner of Fig and Randolph –- you can’t miss it.  There will be games, snacks, activities for the kids, and opportunities to learn from volunteers about the different programs the NRYG sponsors and in which you can become involved.

So, come on out, see your neighbors, new and old, meet the volunteers and the kids, and do something good for our community!  There’s always room for more volunteers as well!

To learn more, contact [email protected], or call Jen Lewis at 757-331-3285.