Sheridan Rotarians ran into an example of an oxymoron recently when recent guest speaker Cara Culp of the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) gave a presentation. Cara is an Urban Agriculture Outreach Specialist. Urban agriculture? Now there is an oxymoron. Sheridan is deep into farm country and out here agriculture refers to BIG farms with BIG tractors and BIG combines. Urban refers to cities, right? It does not seem like the two terms are related, right?
For Cara and her colleagues the definition of agriculture in an urban setting is growing and cultivating food in or around a city or town. The focus of the SWCD Urban Agriculture program is on community gardens and backyard gardens. The Hamilton County SWCD recognizes and supports the importance of backyard and community gardens in Hamilton County and through education, these urban agricultural specialists raise awareness of the benefits of agriculture in city and suburban environments. And through technical assistance, they help residents start new gardens and improve their existing gardens.
With Cara’s help, the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District is also trying to get local gardeners to donate excess produce from their gardens to local food pantries for distribution to folks who do not have access to fresh veggies. Working with local agencies such as the Rotary Club here in Sheridan, Cara is facilitating access to fresh food to local community outlets like the Sheridan Schools Food Pantry and MAMA’s Cupboard Food Pantry.
Sheridan Rotary is involved in a variety of local community projects. Members have raked leaves, trimmed shrubs, planted flowers, installed shelving, helped repair roofs and served free community meals and other similar projects. And now the club has added one more project to its growing list: coordinating the dispersal of local excess garden produce to community food banks.
Sheridan Rotary meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:15 p.m. On the first and third Tuesdays of each month it has formal gatherings with a meal and a guest speaker. On the other Tuesdays, it performs its community projects. It is definitely a busy bunch of gals and guys dedicated to serving humanity in a variety of ways. If you would like to become more involved in the Sheridan community, you can attend one of its formal meetings or volunteer for a project. If interested, please contact any Sheridan Rotary member or contact Steve Martin at the public library.