Clinton Township Newsletter

2 6 j u n e 2 0 2 4 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M Happy Father's Day! America's Grow-a-Row (AGAR), born from a small home gardening project, now spans more than 420 acres i n H u n t e r d o n C o u n t y w i t h a mission to combat food insecurity by growing and donating fresh produce across 20+ states. As their home garden yielded an abundance of vegetables, Chip stumbled upon a local newspaper article encouraging gardeners to 'grow a row for the hungry.' Inspired, they donated 120 pounds of produce to the Flemington Area Food Pantry that year. Their commitment led to the official incorporation of AGAR as a nonprofit organization in 2008, propelled by Chip's dedication to mastering the art of farming for good. United Way volunteers pick produce during a harvest event at our farm to deliver to their clients. Volunteers rescue produce at Flocktown Farm to donate to local feeding organizations through our gleaning program. A m e r i c A ' s G r o w - A - r o w D o N a t e S P r o D u C e F o r P e o P l e i N N e e D Students at Michelle Obama Elementary School make their own fruit salad as part of our Healthy Eating education series. I n 2 0 2 3 , A G A R e n g a g e d 1 0 , 0 0 0 volunteers, donating 3.2 million pounds of produce, and positively i m p a c t i n g 1 3 0 , 0 0 0 i n d i v i d u a l s . B e y o n d f a r m i n g , A G A R r e s c u e s surplus produce through their gleaning program, h o s t s K i d s F a r m D a y s for children from under- resourced communities, and provides education a b o u t b u d g e t - f r i e n d l y h e a l t h y e a t i n g . A G A R p r i o r i t i z e s s u s t a i n a b l e farming practices like no- till farming, crop rotation, a n d w a t e r c o n s e r v a t i o n and has invested in a bee apiary that helps pollinate the apple orchard. In 2024, A G A R a i m s t o d o n a t e 3.6 million pounds with 11,000 volunteers. Visit americasgrowarow.org to volunteer or donate to support their mission. Mane Stream, located in Oldwick, is seeking new volunteers to assist with Summer Camp, Adaptive Riding Lessons, and Therapy Sessions for children and adults with special needs. Volunteers 14 years of age or older are needed to groom and tack the horses and assist riders and therapy clients every weekday morning, afternoon, and Saturday mornings. Prior experience with horses is not necessary in order to become a volunteer. Volunteer a couple hours a week or several times a week. This is a great addition to a college resume, high school service requirement, or a rewarding activity for the newly retired! Short, one-hour online orientations are held every other week at 3:30 pm. After that, new volunteers will be scheduled for a hands-on training to ensure the safety of all participants. The orientation will provide an overview of the programs offered and will explain the responsibilities of a Mane Stream volunteer. The hands-on training will go over grooming, tacking for both adaptive riding and therapy which is very different. If you are interested in finding out how, jump online and create a volunteer profile. Orientation Dates: • Every-other-week at 3:30 pm (T, W, or Th) • Hands-on Training scheduled afterwards Register as soon as possible in order to get scheduled for the upcoming summer sessions! For more info or to register for an orientation and training session, please go to the website and create your volunteer profile: www.ManeStreamNJ.org or call volunteer coordinator, Emily De Jong at 908.439.9636. Photo Caption: Mane Stream Volunteers, Alfie Bentley of Morristown, Tess Coffey of Scotch Plains and Camp Intern, Kathryn Blount assist camper Kenny of Whitehouse Station at the trot on Peanut. S u m m e r v o l u N t e e r S N e e D e D at m a N e S t r e a m

• Cover