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The Full Story

 "The Sandy Spring site is dedicated to the past, present, and future residents of Sandy Spring in hopes the activism that has characterized the community for centuries will continue in the future. This [site] has long been a source for contemplative thought and a place to recognize that we are dependent on this land and should be watchful caretakers."    Taken from the dedication to the spring for which Sandy Spring is named, we hope to honor the rich tradition of activism and contemplative thought as we are growingSOUL.Our current system of food growing and distribution is irreparably broken and is having a devastating impact on the health of individuals, communities, and the planet.  

We can begin to solve this crisis by moving away from the energy-wasting model prevalent in the U.S. of growing food far from its ultimate destination, thereby eliminating the resulting pollution and heavy carbon footprint such a system creates.

By teaching the principles of how to grow your own food, we believe ageism, classism, and most "isms" can be dismantled by empowering communities to have equal access to healthy food.  Ultimately we will create a new kind of diverse multi-generational organization, where young and old people from all walks of life work side by side on cooperative sustainability projects that connect, educate and nourish one another.  

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Our current system of food growing and distribution is irreparably broken and is having a devastating impact on the health of individuals, communities, and the planet.  

We can begin to solve this crisis by moving away from the energy-wasting model prevalent in the U.S. of growing food far from its ultimate destination, thereby eliminating the resulting pollution and heavy carbon footprint such a system creates.

By teaching the principles of how to grow your own food, we believe ageism, classism, and most "isms" can be dismantled by empowering communities to have equal access to healthy food.  Ultimately we will create a new kind of diverse multi-generational organization, where young and old people from all walks of life work side by side on cooperative sustainability projects that connect, educate and nourish one another.

Why We Do What We Do

Mission










Within our mission of creating a sustainable, closed-loop food system, composting is the missing link that enables us to arc weld what is currently a linear food chain into an interconnected cycle. 
We have begun by "growing" our own soil from our community's left-over food scraps, coffee grounds, leaves, and wood chips that we collect in our recycled diesel truck fueled by straight waste vegetable oil.  These items are placed in standing piles until they reach 145 degrees to kill off pathogens. Some of the hot compost is then fed to red wiggler worms, in our layered vermicompost system to make worm castings, the best fertilizer on the planet. The compost, mixed with a little coconut coir to retain moisture, and fertilized with worm castings, creates Soil with SOUL, the most nutrient-rich soil possible for organic farming.

contact us:
growingSOULorg@gmail.com

Preparing & Preserving

After we harvest our organic food, we will prepare it using simple techniques. Landfill trips are kept to a minimum in our zero-waste food preparation by using food trimmings to create stocks, soups and stews. Our demonstrations of food preservation methods such as fermenting, freezing and canning for long term storage provide the benefit of having fresh foods to eat or cook with even if they are not in season. Anything leftover will be composted and fed to the worms to make more of our Soil with SOUL.

Our office is located at:
Cornell Cooperative Extension
64 Ferndale Loomis Road
Liberty, NY 12754

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Every dollar donated is fee-free making 100% of your contribution go towards
feeding our neighbors in need.

growingSOUL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, All donations are eligible for tax deduction

©2024 by growingSOUL

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