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| Greater Newark Conservancy'sMonthly Newsletter
OCTOBER 2020
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Hello Friend,October flew by at Greater Newark Conservancy!
In this issue, we talk about Octoberfest, the Making Our City Bloom Virtual Celebration, and other recent in-person and virtual events. We hope you can join us in the upcoming months whether online or at one of our socially distanced gatherings!
Enjoy reading about what we've been up to!
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On Thursday, October 15, we hosted the Making Our City Bloom Virtual Celebration. After rescheduling our in-person event from May, the teams from Greater Newark Conservancy and CareSparc Consulting worked tirelessly to pivot onto a virtual platform. This year we were able to commemorate our community honorees from the comfort of our own homes!
The night featured wonderful guests including community partners and special guests. Hip-hop violinist Bri Blvck strolled through our Outdoor Learning Center gardens while performing, celebrity chef and restauranteur Marcus Samuelsson cooked us a delicious recipe made from ingredients we grow at the Hawthorne Avenue Urban Farm, and ABC-TV news anchor Toni Yates guided us through the night as our Mistress of Ceremonies!
We're so excited to finally have been able to celebrate with you all. If you missed out on the live showing, don't worry--you can watch the entire show at your convenience on our Youtube channel. And there's still time to donate and support the Conservancy's year-round activities!
Click the link below!
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Thank you to our sponsors!
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On October 17th we had our Octoberfest and Pop Up Market! This year we featured a number of different local businesses including some "kidpreneurs". Local vendors were selling everything from homemade pastries, jewelry, and makeup products, to do-it-yourself art pieces, and local honey!
Not only was there great shopping but also fun fall activities. Families were invited to take a pumpkin home to decorate at home, paint a rock for our Kindness Rocks Garden, and participate in Garden Bingo. Thanks to Ms. Megan we were even able to host our first-ever live, in-person AND on Facebook Live, Family Fun In the Kitchen! The aroma of Ms. Megan's delicious sweet potato chili, made with fresh veggies from our farm stand, wafted through the air! In case you missed out but want to try this recipe you can find it here and can sign up for our weekly Nutrition EBlasts here.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, we hope you had a gourd time!
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| Fall Fun in the Pumpkin Patch
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Throughout the last week of October, Greater Newark Conservancy's education department held pick-your-own pumpkin patches throughout Newark! Thanks to the Conservancy's funding from USDA's Farm to School program, whose goal is to connect kids to fresh local foods, we've been able to continue expanding our school programs and make them accessible during the pandemic. At Avon Avenue, Thirteenth Avenue, Hawthorne Ave, Lincoln and Harriet Tubman schools children and their families were able to (socially distanced) celebrate fall and pick out their very own pumpkins and apples!
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Newark Public Library featured a "Meet your Librarian" event by hosting a table where they helped children sign up for library cards and read them stories. Local librarians were able to introduce themselves and get to know families from their community.
At Hawthorne Avenue Farm families learned from hands-on demonstrations about natural and agricultural practices. Hawthorne Avenue teacher (and regular Farm volunteer) Ann Jansen demonstrated the transformation of wheat into flour from stripping wheat berries from the stalk to milling it into flour. Java's compost, a local company that helps educate and provide composting services, hosted an information session teaching attendees about sustainable composting!
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| Online Ordering Now Available!
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Like many businesses these days, and due to our collaboration with the Urban Agriculture Cooperative (UAC), we now offer online ordering and curbside pickup for fresh fruits and vegetables! Founded by Emilio Panasci and Jamie Bruno, the UAC uses a harvest to order model, meaning that once the order is placed, the produce is then harvested; thereby reducing food waste.
Along with Greater Newark Conservancy, the Cooperative also partners with a number of local farmers and providers, including Rabbit Hole Farm, Down Bottom Farm, Bread Lock Botanicals, SWAG Project, and others. In addition to seasonal produce, products offered in the Cooperative Market include herbal teas, eggs, grains, and baked goods—check out the delicious, giant cookies from Elijah’s Promise!
The online market opens every Thursday at 8 am and closes Mondays at 5:30. Be sure to place your order in time for pickup at five convenient locations, offered on various days, throughout Newark, and even East Orange. Click here to order visit the Cooperative Market Online or learn more about the Urban Agriculture Coop.
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