ESC's Community Garden Project has had an amazing first year. The community gardens in Barton, Jasper, Newton and McDonald County have thrived due to the hard work of the participants that care for them.
Gardens are thriving in the following locations:
Barton County - 603 E. 20th Street in Lamar
Jasper County - Boys and Girls Club of Joplin, North Joplin Early Head Start Center, and at 821 Central Ave. in Joplin
Newton County - Crowder College, 6893 Highway 43 between Joplin and Seneca, and at the Women's House (3014 Silver Creek in Joplin)
McDonald County - Anderson United Methodist Church and the McDonald County Senior Center in Noel.
Container gardens were also started at the Noel Early Head Start Center and at Candie Land Daycare in Anderson.
Each garden is a success story because it shows how people can learn a valuable skill and put it into action. Many of the participants have stated how they have been able to harvest lots of fresh vegetables to help feed their families. Thank you to all the Master Gardeners, volunteers, and local businesses that have donated their time and garden supplies.
If anyone is interested in donating their time or garden materials to any of ESC's Community Gardens, please contact Randie Shrum at rshrum@escswa.org or 417-781-0352, ext. 273.
Back to School in Lamar!
Community Development staff members were very pleased with the success of their third annual Barton County Back-to-School Fair in Lamar.
23 students attended the event to receive school supplies and information about community resources from the thirty local vendors who participated. Response from both clients and vendors was very positive.
Many of those in attendance were already asking about next year's in order to schedule the event in their calendar. Many of the new vendors were unaware of how much need there is for the program in their community. Overall, the event was a huge success in educating the community and providing much needed resources to Barton County families.
For more information on how you can get involved in next year's fair, please contact ESC's Lamar Outreach Office at 417-682-5591.
Life Skills Classes Available...
ESC's Life Skills Training continues to be successful and the Community Development division is excited to offer several more opportunities to join the class this month.
These classes help clients with skills such as budgeting, conserving energy and finding employment. Anyone can attend the trainings, but those wishing to attend must enroll in advance by contacting one of the following staff members: Sharon Havens or Sally McAffrey (Neosho) at 417-451-2206, Marcia Denny (Anderson) at 417-845-6011 or Wes Barbee (Lamar) at 417-682-5591.
August 11th-
NEOSHO: Budgeting from 8:30-12:30
August 12th-
ANDERSON: Budgeting and Energy Savings from 9:00-3:00
August 18th-
LAMAR: Budgeting from 9:00-1:00
August 25th-
NEOSHO: Budgeting from 8:30-12:30
August 26th-
ANDERSON: Budgeting from 1:00-4:00
Wheels for Workers Moves On...
Community Development representatives recently met with Teddy Steen and several members of the Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) regarding ESC's Wheels for Workers Programs. CAB, a non-profit organization that works with clients who are on probation, have since taken over the operation of the programs in Jasper and Newton counties.
The organization will have furthur meetings with ESC staff to turn over all vehicles that haven't been issued out, and to transfer files on clients who are currently making payments. Letters will be sent out to those clients notifying them of the changes and the new location for payments. ESC will be working with CAB in their initial selection process and will assist them with our experience as they move forward with the programs. They hope to expand the program to assist McDonald county families in the future.
ESC began the Wheels for Workers program in Barton County in October of 1999, to assist with transportation needs in ESC's coverage area. When the program began, ESC planned to start up the program before turning it over to a community program for continuation. The Barton County program has assisted 130 families in obtaining affordable transportation since it's inception.
In October 2003, the program expanded to Jasper County. That program has assisted 72 families since it began. The Newton County program was started in October 2006 and has assisted an additional 22 families since that time. This year, local not-for-profit Good Samaritan took over the project in Lamar.
Is there anything interesting going on in your department that you would like to share with our staff, board members and supporters? To have your information included in an upcoming issue of News from ESC, please contact Andrea Osiek at aosiek@escswa.org.
Economic Security Corporation of Southwest Area (ESC) is a private non-profit Community Action Agency, which was created in October 1965 to serve the needs of low-income individuals and families. The mission of the agency is "to help families currently caught in poverty to find a way out, and to work in our communities to prevent the conditions of poverty from affecting future generations."
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