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July 2015 The Bounty Garden: Meeting the Needs of Neighbors By Jody Morgan
Serving Danville
The Bounty Garden (TBG), located in Hap Magee Ranch Park, is now in its third full harvest year. Every ounce of organic produce grown goes to local residents most in need through the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. TBG provides hands-on training to volunteers of all ages who want to learn sustainable practices to use in their home gardens. TBG offers experienced gardeners the opportunity to share their knowledge and reap satisfaction from serving their community. Volunteers savor the serenity of the garden while working within. Passersby relish the view of orderly beds of greenery from without.
Photo by Cindy Gin.
A 50 Year Tradition - The Kiwanis Danville 4th of July Parade By Fran Miller
The TBG Hive. L to R: Kathy Torru; Co-Founders Amelia Abramson and Heidi Abramson; Marilyn Gray-Raine; Kellee Reed; Louise Fredriksson; Joann Oliver; Eric Schneider; Janet Howes. Absent: Cynthia Ruzzi. (Photo courtesy of TBG).
Getting the project approved was harder than keeping it going has proven to be. During a tour of the Food Bank organized by her school, Amelia Abramson was appalled by the emptiness of the area reserved for fresh produce. She returned to her Alamo home determined to find a way to improve the situation. Together with her mother Heidi, Amelia tackled the lengthy process of convincing Danville’s Town Council that TBG was a viable proposition that would enhance Hap Magee Park and continue to be productive year after year. On November 15, 2011, Danville Town Council unanimously approved a license agreement with The Bounty Garden Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Cynthia Ruzzi, co-founder of Sustainable Danville and a member of the TBG Hive (the garden’s management team), comments, “I was amazed by Amelia’s insight. How remarkable for a child in our community to have been so moved by a simple visit to the Food Bank. Amelia understood the difference between her diet – based on an abundance of fresh produce – and the diet of those less fortunate based mainly on canned goods.” Multiple Eagle Scout projects built raised beds and compost bins. Using her expertise as an architect, Heidi restored the small shed within the garden boundaries to house tools, harvest-weighing equipment, and information about the garden. The original plan for rainwater collection was abandoned when town estimates demonstrated how little water the garden would require. TBG’s water bill runs about $150 a year. Toro donated their latest spray nozzle system. More efficient than drip irrigation, it directs water to the roots. Amelia left for college before the first harvest was in, but she keeps in touch with TBG progress. She writes, “Though I was raised always having my hands in the soil, I lost touch with gardening once I began middle school. With the creation of The Bounty Garden came
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Danville’s most festive annual gathering - the Kiwanis Danville 4th of July parade - celebrates fifty years this summer, and parade organizers are planning a gala event. The Kiwanis Club of San Ramon Valley, parade coordinators since 1975, expect between 35,000 and 40,000 attendees from throughout the Bay Area, making the parade the largest annual event in the San Ramon Valley. This year’s theme is “Kids on Bikes. Smart, Safe and Healthy.” The Grand Marshall of the parade is the Robert Pack Family. Through the years, the parade and its audience have exemplified small town appeal, often drawing comparisons to the iconic musical The Music Man. The sea of lawn chairs, multi-generational families, and red, white and blue clothing do make for a movie-like visual. “This parade helps to give a small town feel to this growing region,” says Ron Kosich, Kiwanis member and chairman of the parade. “It provides a link to the Hazel Pappalardo (shown with grandaughter Tori Sciacca) watched past and to our nostalgic idea of what a her last Danville July 4th Parade at small town used to be.” age 101 from her favorite spot next Longtime Danville resident Vickie to the SRVHS parking lot. Sciacca has been attending the parade since she was a young girl, when she lived within walking distance of the parade route. Volume VI - Number 9 She remembers the small, homey feel with 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507 4-H groups, school bands and horseback rid(925) 405-6397 ers, and the excitement prior to parade day. Fax (925) 406-0547 She recalls one particular year where rumor Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher had it that the stars of “Bonanza” would be editor@ participating. The rumor turned out to be yourmonthlypaper.com false, but Sciacca still remembers the anticiThe opinions expressed herein belong patory thrill. to the writers, and do not necessarily that of Danville Today News. Sciacca’s late mother, Hazel Pappalardo, reflectDanville Today News is not never missed the parade; she watched her last responsible for the content of any of
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