Being a Democrat and the community (gardens)
Monday, January 5th, 2009Today, a friend encouraged me to write a blog entry about community gardens. We had talked about the issue many months ago, prior to becoming involved in the local Obama campaign, and to be honest, I had actually forgotten about it.
What does this have to do with being a Democrat in Lebanon County? The connection, for me, relates back to a conversation with another friend about the differences between Democrats and Republicans. His opinion was that a Democrat’s motto should be “what can I do for my community?” and I feel fortunate to live in a place where the spirit of community caring and giving is high, regardless of one’s affiliation (or non-affiliation).
We’re living in some hard times, to be sure. One solution (I think) to hard times is self reliance and a helping hand, which is something Lebanon Countians are already pretty good at and it brings me to the fond memories of my childhood when all of old folks had their gardens “out back”. This was probably just a holdover from there upbringing, but they too lived through some hard times.
Not wanting to complain or commiserate without offering solutions, I propose we think about community gardening.
It helps cut down on grocery costs, fosters neighborhood connections, and provides healthy and environmentally safe food (assuming you don’t use too many pesticides). To me, it sounds like a win/win/win situation.