Dear Sun Spots: You’re the best and we all appreciate your mission. I am one of four resident garden coordinators for Hilltop Community Gardens, located at Hillview, which is part of Lewiston Housing Authority. It is a low-income housing development. We have four large vegetable garden plots, and more than 20 beautification sites throughout the property.

We also have individual apartment-side gardens for any resident who wants one, or might be handicapped and can’t get out to a big garden. Our mission is to teach the residents how to grow fresh organic vegetables that they can feed to their families. This teaches them self-reliance, and at the same time gives them pride, self-esteem, and a feeling of success.

We also have Harvest Suppers (free of charge to residents), made with our very own fresh vegetables, and help from the children. This is a great time for us to share good recipes. We also have a Veggie Stand, where the non-gardeners can buy fresh organic vegetables at a very low cost. Both of these events happen every week from mid-July until frost.

Now on to what we need:

We’re looking for a greenhouse, one that’s not needed anymore, or one that we can take down or apart. We’ll use anything, or supplies to build one, like 2-by-4s, 8- or 12-foot boards, Plexiglas (lots), storm doors, ridge vent, gutters and down spouts, nails, screws, screw-driver (battery operated), caulking, bricks or bags of concrete, sauna tubes (4-feet, 6-inches deep), plastic barrels, shelving-wood, slatted metal, rigid slatted plastic – what have you!

Also, we need new vegetable seeds, flower and herb seeds. We could also use any perennial plant divisions, bulb divisions, unwanted shrubs or suckers. For example: lilac bushes, roses, tree-lings – especially fruit trees and ornamentals. Well-rotted horse or cow manure would be a great help (management won’t allow any fresh stuff).

Any compost materials and mulches such as straw or hay bails, old leaves, grass clippings, (which we could use all summer long). We will pick up, or you can drop off. We could use stakes, tomato cages, old wood for trellises, string or rope, etc. Anything you think that we might need, to help us out.

Lastly, we are more than willing to come to you to dig up, rake up, or tear down whatever it is that you’re willing to give. We are hard workers.

We need your help. No matter how small or large. Thank you in advance!

You can reach our director Kirsten at (207) 753-6944, or myself, Dawn, resident garden coordinator, at 77 Rideout Ave., Lewiston, ME 04240 or (207) 795-0579. Thanking you in advance. –Dawn, Lewiston.

Dear Sun Spots: Would anyone be willing to donate any of the following items for a K-12 nonprofit organization?

We need: used encyclopedia, dictionary, educational software, educational games, atlas, books, workbooks, etc. It will be greatly appreciated. Please contact Yvette Michaud at (207) 784-8758. – Yvette Michaud, Lewiston.



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