14 The Catholic News & Herald
FROM THE COVER
July 9, 2010
Growing Opportunities program marks 10 years GRANT, from page 1
For 10 years the Office of Economic Opportunity of Catholic Social Services has been giving out small ”Growing Opportunities” grants to aid local non-profit organizations and community groups in rural western North Carolina. More than $211,000 has been awarded to help empower people, create jobs and provide community development projects in the impoverished areas of Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties. Smoky Mountain Native Plants Association, a group of 70 members that came together to help solve local agricultural and economic issues, is one of the organizations succeeding because of these grants, which come from money from the 1999 sale of Good Shepherd Home Health Care and Hospice Agency. Smoky Mountain Native Plants was awarded $2,000 in 2001, $2,200 in 2003 and $3,000 in 2008. “We set out to make a project that would help people get through the off times,” says Beverly Whitehead, chairwoman of the association. “Every year it gets harder for local people to make a living. There are about 8,000 people in the local community and unless you have a job at the one grocery store, in the schools, working for the county or the (U.S.) Forest Service, you have to wait until tourist season to hope to find employment,” Whitehead says. So Smoky Mountain Native Plants was formed to bring together local farmers to grow and market resources they already have – native plants such as ramps and corn that residents have relied on for sustenance for generations. The association is now one of the 10 largest employers in Graham County, employing 72 people seasonally and four year-round employees. They use sustainable farming practices and partner with
“If we can give anyone even an hour’s work they are grateful.”
N.C. State University and the N.C. Department of Agriculture to research and grow specialty crops that will benefit the economy and preserve local heritage. The association began growing ramps – an early spring onion also called a wild mountain leek – in 2003 after local growers swapped their favorite ramp cornbread recipes. – Beverly Whitehead, Ramp cornbread has been made Smoky Mountain for centuries, originating as a hearty corn pone for hunters. The Native Plants group sampled all their recipes, Association narrowing them to three, then voting to reproduce the 1890s one they call “Grandma Amo’s Cornbread.” It is an actual recipe from one grower’s great-great-great-grandmother. That recipe is featured on the packaging of the ramp cornbread mix that Smoky Mountain Native Plants now sells. Speaking about the OEO Growing Opportunities grants, Whitehead says, “Each grant that we have received has been critical. The money came at the exact time we needed it. In 2003 the grant funded our trip to Washington, D.C., to get our product to the Folklife Festival sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. In 2009 we used the grant to redesign our packaging.” The association sells ramp seasonings now besides the fresh ramps and ramp cornbread mix. The local farmers also grow corn, shitake mushrooms, squash, tomatoes and potatoes for local markets. “A driving force” behind the success of the Growing Opportunities grants has been Father George Kloster, pastor of St. William Church in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville. Father Kloster has been actively involved in economic development in rural Western North Carolina for the past 12 years. Father Kloster serves as “the bridge” between all those involved in the ecumenical efforts to improve the lives of the people in the area. “The support of local parishes and churches is essential,” says Father Kloster. He has witnessed first-hand the creation and the success of projects such as the Smoky Mountain Native Plants Association. “They take small grants and with a lot of initiative leverage the monies into marketing opportunities,” Father Kloster points out. Perseverance and the collaboration of local residents and churches, as well as the perfectly-timed CSS grants, are the recipe for success now and in the future. “It’s a very hands-on approach to sharing what we know about the land, the plants and the skills we all have. The whole organization is based on shared knowledge. Honoring each other’s knowledge and skills is critical,” adds Whitehead. “We’re a team, doing this together.”