GROW BROOME - 2008

United Way of Broome County expanded its Day of Caring program of volunteer community service by adding GROW BROOME. It provides a new opportunity for volunteer participation in a project that benefits the community by providing fresh food to the hungry in Broome County. Both GROW BROOME and the Day of Caring projects are organized to be in keeping with the basic Day of Caring theme: “People Helping People”.

Day of Caring has since 2002 been held on a single day on or near September 11 with about 1,000 volunteers working on mostly repair or clean-up projects at Broome County non-profit organizations. GROW BROOME project takes place from April through September. It is a community wide activity by volunteers to grow 11 different types of vegetables using about 135 EarthBoxes, a highly effective container growing system. As the major emphasis of the program, at least half of the vegetables grown is donated to the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW), which distributes food to 29 food pantries in Broome County serving 2,500 area residents monthly.  

The EarthBoxes were purchased by a group of local sponsors and have been assigned to 14 not-for-profit organizations and schools, which signed up to participate in the program: American Civic Association, Broome-Tioga ACHIEVE, Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton (Camp Sertoma), Broome/Tioga BOCES, Children’s Home, Discovery Center of the Southern Tier, Elizabeth Church Manor, Good Shepherd - Fairview, Hilltop Campus of United Methodist Homes, Ideal Nursing Center, Johnson City Senior Citizens Center, Susquehanna Nursing Center, United Way of Broome County, and Waterman Conservation Education Center. 

These organizations each have from 2 to 12 boxes. Each EarthBox came with 25 pounds of potting soil, seeds or seedling plants, dolomite, and fertilizer. Each organization has assigned a GROW BROOME project coordinator, but in most instances the plants will be tended by the clients of these agencies, which range from young children to senior citizens. 

An initial training session for the GROW BROOME coordinators of the participating organizations was held in early May. Volunteers serving on the GROW BROOME production committee will visit the various growing sites after they are in operation to observe and offer advice, and will be available to answer questions that may arise during the growing season.

More than a decade of dedicated work led by researchers in Florida has gone into developing the EarthBox, which is designed to grow a large amount of crops in a limited space. Each box is designed to allow the plants to obtain water from the bottom and prevent over-watering. Even when filled, the boxes are lightweight, and therefore can easily be moved to either sunny or shady locations, depending upon the ideal growing conditions for the plants they contain.

The EarthBox has had extensive field use in the United Nations and American Horticulture Society sponsored Growing Connections program, with glowing reports of success. It has been reported that each EarthBox can grow 25 to 50 pounds of tomatoes. Other vegetables planned for the GROW BROOME project this year include eggplant, peppers, squash, lettuce, spinach, radish, cucumber, peas, green beans, and zucchini.

Contact: United Way of Broome County
PO Box 550, Binghamton, NY 13902-0550
Phone: (607) 729-2592, Fax: (607) 729-2597
E-mail: dayofcaring@uwbroome.org