| Dear Friends,
July 4th is upon us! And as we reflect on the meanings of independence, especially in a nation as fractured and divided and full of contradictions as our is now, what we are really interested in our inter-dependence. We are all connected!
We see this everywhere we look, but growing food from seeds at FRESH New London teaches us this. One group of teenagers plants the seeds in small cells in February or March, pushing seeds into soil as they chat and get to know each other. Our staff and interns and volunteers water, keep the heater on, shroud the baby seedlings in crop cover cloth in the greenhouse through the cold days of early Spring. Different young people (or the same ones just older and wiser and so much more mature in the way that only teenagers-- and seedlings-- change so much in such a short time) transplant the seedlings into bigger pots, nestling them gently in their new soil homes as they learn from one another and FRESH staff. A few weeks later, those young people get to see how much their wider community values their work at the Big Plant Sale! And then gardeners, volunteers, youth program members, staff members, interns-- all of us-- water and weed and spray (organically!) to ward off pests and harvest the bounty, which we all eat!
No one of us could do it alone, and we couldn't do it without the sunshine, the rain and every other support!
We are all connected!
And speaking of being connected, being inter-dependent, FRESH New London couldn't do it without our supporters.
Just in the last week or so, we received grants or sizable contributions from the following entities:
The Eastern Connecticut Community Gardeners Association The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme The Electric Boat Employee' Community Services Association and Veolia's New London Water Authority Community Development we also received a generous anonymous contribution through the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut and a grant from the Haymarket People's Fund!
So, a HUGE "Thank You" to Each of These Groups for Your Support!!!
Inter-dependence doesn't get fireworks, or barbecues, or a multi-million dollar "Salute to American" parades like the one scheduled to dig big ruts in Washington, DC's streets tomorrow, but it is still worth celebrating!
Thanks for being part of our inter-dependence,
The FRESH Staff | 
