Our first check from the sale of aluminum can totaling $229.58 was donated to the Estelline Area Food Bank to help with Christmas time food distribution. Ann Webb, Food Bank Director accepted a check from the David Ebbers on behalf of the Horizons Group. The trailer for the collection of aluminum was purchased with grant funds from Horizons.
Bringing the community up to date on the garden is to alert folks to the planning schedule. Green Development committee plans meetings in early 2008 to establish plot sizes, basic regulations, funding issues and leadership and teaching position parameters for the garden. Any Greater Estelline community member can participate in planning and gardening. Meeting date and location will be posted here after January 8th.Initial ideas for the garden “blossomed” at NWF Horizons Leadership Plenty sessions during Jul-Sep. We are fortunate to have Master Gardener Mary B. participating.
Late summer the city lot, located on the east side of the south end of 6th St. Estelline had two improvements. A sand point was placed for water ( an in kind donation) and a garden shed (purchased with NWF Horizons funds) was erected. The spacious lot has lots of sun, some pleasant shade, and good soils.
On the cold and windy weekend Sep 15-16 an open house for the garden was held at Hoffelt Drugstore. Music provided by Roger Svec, guitar, and Amanda Svec, fiddle warmed the day. They are pictured in the above photo. Ice cream floats and a variety of homemade goodies were available. Donations will be applied to Community Garden projects.
Green Development committee encourages your donation of metal, you involvement in keepings aluminum andother trash under control, and assistance in transporting the collection to Watertown Iron & Metal. Watch for can sources in the community and stream them toward our trailer. If your business has a supply consider sending them our direction; and if you see a good supply ask for the cans and collect them. Turning trash to treasure is one direct path from poverty to prosperity. Cans to cash funds are managed by the committee.
During the final phase of Leadership Plenty, the need to upgrade the Estelline Food Pantry wasw recognized. A committee was formed to decide on their most pressing needs, which included finding a larger space in which to relocate and a freezer for storage of perishable donations. It was discovered that space was available in the city-owned clinic building and the move was made in September. An upright freezer was purchased with Horizons funds and delivered to the new location. The food pantry is voluntarily overseen by local community leaders, including JoAnn Foster, Pastor Ann Webb and Marlyn Pomrenke.
Our first check from the sale of aluminum can totaling $229.58 was donated to the Estelline Area Food Bank to help with Christmas time food distribution. Ann Webb, Food Bank Director accepted a check from the David Ebbers on behalf of the Horizons Group. The trailer for the collection of aluminum was purchased with grant funds from Horizons.
Estelline Horizons created a seven question survey which is being distributed throughout the community. It was first sent out in the November electric bills which reaches everyone in the city community. Surveys were then sent to the high school, nursing home, and senior citizens center. When residents bring the surveys into the bank, they are given an “Estelline Bucks” check to spend in the town. Pictured at left is Linda Svec, distributing surveys at a high school basketball game.
The questionnaires have been given out at basketball games and the high school and grade school music concert. In an effort to reach residents around Lake Poinsett, the surveys are going to be sent to the Lake Poinsett Area Development Association officers and board members who are full time residents at the lake. Horizons volunteers are compiling the results as the surveys are returned. Approximately 100 surveys had been returned in the two week period from December 1-15.
The survey questions are:
1. Describe Estelline to a stranger.
2. What areas need to be strengthened or bettered to make life more comfortable/better in our community?
3. Complete the sentence, “In order to make the Estelline Area a better place to live, we need to have ______.
4. Pick three of the following as the most important issues you would like to see addressed in our community. a. Community center, b. Youth center, c. More housing, 3. Additional services., e. Addtional businesses, f. Education, continuing and adult, g. Health care, h. Welcome Wagon, i. Public transportation, j. Other
5. What do we need for youth in our community? Pick 2 a. After school program, b. Mentoring, c. Youth center, d. Additional day care, e. Summer program, f. Other
6. Give us an “Out of the Box” idea for the community.
7. Would you be willing to help with a particular community project? Y/N Area of interest: