If you could pick a peach grown by a local orchard grower, would you? Could you walk downtown in your community and find a fresh produce stand? Did you know you can spend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP dollars at the farmers market? Millions of dollars in federal investment is going to give more […]
Tag Archives | community
Southern Climate Vigil Offers Spiritual Response to Climate Change
September 19, 2014
Being mindful and prayerful about the People’s Climate March in New York City this weekend was a focus of the Greater Knoxville Climate Vigil hosted last weekend by Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light. Church pastors and people of various faiths gathered at Knoxville, Tennessee’s downtown Alex Haley Heritage Square for the event. They called this […]
Urban Community Farm Produces for Needy, Needs More Tennessee Volunteers
September 8, 2014
Want more thoughtful content like this? Subscribe to Flour Sack Mama’s newsletter to stay in touch! The muscadine grapes were bursting to be picked, a few late summer berries were still hanging on, and the weeds made their last stand under the hands of energetic volunteers at the Saturday work day. Beardsley Community Farm was […]
Green Goes Mainstream: Community Gardening & Wellness
July 23, 2014
Could gardening be central to community revitalization? We explore that idea in our Green Goes Mainstream series. A People’s Garden stands outside USDA headquarters in Washington, DC, modeling how fresh lettuce and tomatoes can nourish a community’s spirit. Food from gardens like these goes to feed the hungry in all 50 states. This garden project […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on July 23, 2014 in agriculture, Appalachia, gardening, green, Green Goes Mainstream, organic
Is Your Holiday Charitable Giving Put to Wise Use?
December 21, 2013
You’re generous, and a particular cause has touched your heart. How can you be sure your holiday contribution will go toward the effort you intended? There are a few ways to wisely vet charities by the numbers. Chief Operating Officer Bennett Weiner with the Wise Giving Alliance says there are three ways we can look for […]
Three Questions to Ask Before Giving to Charity
December 20, 2013
Your money. Well earned. Patiently saved. When you give back through charitable donations this time of year, you do so with the expectation that you’ll be supporting the cause that touched your heart. Perhaps it will. Were you aware that third-party solicitors, in some states, can keep 80 to 90 percent of charitable donations for […]
Rural Appalachian Health Clinic Gets Federal Finance Boost
December 16, 2013
An innovative health clinic in West Virginia’s coal country has received a major financial boost from the Affordable Care Act. The Williamson Health and Wellness Center will be able to expand services with its more than $800,000 awarded in November. We first told you about the clinic in 2011, when a collaborative of local medical […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on December 16, 2013 in Appalachia, coal, health, natural resources, rural, Uncategorized
Project Linus Sending Blanket Hugs to Sandy Hook School
December 19, 2012
Caring people who have stitched, knitted and quilted in communities around the country are sending hugs in the form of blankets to Sandy Hook Elementary School. Project Linus volunteers have organized hundreds of quilts in hopes of comforting survivors of the school shooting tragedy. A portion of those quilts are from the East Tennessee chapter […]
Blanketeers Handcraft Hugs for Hurting Children
September 17, 2012
Deb Miller said it was a rare treat when a family stopped her in a store parking lot after seeing the logo on her vehicle. A father rolled down the window of his car to let her meet the little boy who’d been toting along a special blanket for two years since he’d first been […]
Food Co-ops Quantify Local Goodness
August 27, 2012
You can’t help but notice it when you walk in a local cooperative grocery store. The atmosphere is pleasant, the sales are low-key, and the staff will take time to answer any questions. Local, organic and good-for-you products are the norm, not the exception. Now co-ops have some hard data to back up the advantages […]
