| Community
fills empty bowls for the hungry
On Saturday, at the Twisted Cellar bistro in Grangeville, over seventy people gathered to raise funds for the Camas Prairie Food Bank's community garden project. The "Empty Bowls" benefit featured handcrafted bowls by Kamiah artist Karen Smith that were filled with delicious soups made by local volunteers. The Monastery of St. Gertrude brought homemade bread. 
The benefit was the idea of Deanna English, who helps with fundraising and developing connections for the local food bank. A resident of Grangeville for 34 years, she is a yoga and wellness instructor who is passionate about good nutrition. "Education is what is most important: empowering people to grow their own food and move out of the cycle of poverty." Beth Funk of Harpster is a long-time gardener who will coordinate the community garden and provide gardening classes. She recently graduated from the University of Idaho's Master Gardener program and is excited about teaching people how to grow their own food. "The garden will be a place for education," she says with a smile. Carlene Whitsell co-founded the Camas Prairie Food Bank and is its current director. She is proud that the food bank is able to help over 700 people a month. Her vision includes a new space that will allow room for cooking and food preservation classes. "This event is the beginning of education. We must teach people how to access good food and then how to cook and preserve it. The Camas Prairie food bank is about neighbors helping neighbors and the community garden will help us do that even better." If you would like to contribute to the Camas Prairie Food Bank's community gardening project or new building initiative, call Carlene Whitsell at 983-5475. Food donations can be made at Community Action Network on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 411 East North Street (at Florence). Sterling Bank and Community Action Network also accept food donations on an ongoing basis. Keep in touch with Camas Prairie Food Bank by joining their group on Facebook.  |
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