Katies Krops

THE MISSION OF KATIE'S KROPS IS TO EMPOWER YOUTH TO START AND MAINTAIN VEGETABLE GARDENS OF ALL SIZES AND DONATE THE HARVEST TO HELP FEED PEOPLE IN NEED, AS WELL AS TO ASSIST AND INSPIRE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

2022 WAS A YEAR OF TREMENDOUS GROWTH PRODUCTION IN OUR FLAGSHIP GARDEN INCREASED BY FIFTY-FIVE PERCENT OUR VOLUNTEER BASE DOUBLED OUR OUTDOOR CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT INCREASED BY 35 PERCENT. OUR YOUNG GROWERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAD A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. WE WORKED TIRELESSLY TO IMPROVE OUR EFFORT AND GROWTH. COLLECTIVELY OUR YOUNG GROWERS DONATED 48,456 POUNDS OF PRODUCE TO HELP END HUNGER IN THEIR COMMUNITIES IN 2022 KATIE'S KROPS AND KATIE RECEIVED THREE NOTABLE HONORS KATIE'S KROPS FAVORITE NONPROFIT, KATIE'S KROPS BEST LOCAL ACTIVIST GROUP AND KATIE WON FAVORITE LOCAL HERO IN THE SUMMERVILLE JOURNAL SCENE READERS' CHOICE AWARDS. THE RESIDENTS OF SUMMERVILLE VOTE ON THESE AWARDS. IT WAS A TRULY HUMBLING EXPERIENCE. THE STAGLIANO FAMILY WAS HONORED WITH THE KEYSTONE AWARD FROM DORCHESTER COUNTY COMMUNITY OUTREACH - DCCO. THE AWARD IS GIVEN IN RECOGNITION OF DEDICATION TO DCCO AND CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT IS TRULY AN HONOR TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD AS A FAMILY. KATIE'S BROTHER JOHN MICHAEL HAS DEDICATED THE PAST SEVEN YEARS TO FURNISHING HOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TRANSITIONING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS WITH HIS NONPROFIT LOWCOUNTRY HOME AGAIN. IN 2022 WE HOSTED 87 PROGRAMS IN OUR OUTDOOR CLASSROOM, ENGAGING 847 PEOPLE IN FUN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN A BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR SETTING. THIRTY PERCENT OF VISITORS BECAME GARDEN VOLUNTEERS. OUR MOST POPULAR PROGRAM CONTINUES TO BE STORYTIME IN THE GARDEN WITH KATIE. THIS PROGRAM IS OPEN TO VISITORS OF ALL AGES WHO ENJOY STORIES AND RECEIVE A TOUR OF THE GARDEN WHERE CHILDREN CAN SNACK ON THE GROWING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. IN ADDITION, WE PARTNERED WITH SEVERAL LOCAL NONPROFITS, EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, PROFESSIONALS, AND VOLUNTEERS TO BRING HIGH- QUALITY EDUCATIONAL AND ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO THE CLASSROOM. IN 2022 WE CONTINUED TO SEE A TREMENDOUS NEED FOR OUR KATIE'S KROPS GARDEN TO TABLE DINNERS. SUMMERVILLE LACKS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. INDIVIDUALS HAVE DIFFICULTY PROCURING TRANSPORTATION TO GROCERY STORES AND CANNOT ACCESS THE FREE FOOD DONATIONS OFFERED BY LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES AND OUR KATIE'S KROPS DINNERS. OUR DELIVERY VOLUNTEERS ARE LIFELINES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES STRUGGLING WITH HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY. IN 2022 OUR DELIVERIES INCREASED, AND WE ARE NOW DELIVERING 240+ MEALS PER DINNER. WORKING WITH THE DORCHESTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, WE REACHED INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS. IN 2022 WE SHARED 16,258 HEALTHY FREE MEALS AND CONTINUED OUR MISSION TO HAVE THE MEALS SERVED AND PREPARED BY YOUTH VOLUNTEERS. ADDITIONALLY, WE PROVIDED CHRISTMAS DINNER FOR THE GUESTS OF THE WARMING SHELTER IN SUMMERVILLE AND STARTED SHARING MILK WITH OUR GUESTS. AT THANKSGIVING, WE GAVE OUR GUESTS 112 THANKSGIVING BASKETS TO PREPARE A MEAL AT HOME. T IS A GREAT HONOR TO ANNOUNCE OUR 2022 KATIE'S KROPS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR, LILY HARTLINE AT JUST SIX YEARS OLD, LILY LOGGED MORE VOLUNTEER HOURS IN 2022 THAN ANY OTHER VOLUNTEER. YOU WILL FIND LILY AT ALL OF OUR GARDEN WORKDAYS. INSPIRED TO DO MORE, LILY STARTED HER OWN GIVING GARDEN AT HER HOME, WHERE SHE SHARES THE HARVEST TO MAKE OUR FREE GARDEN-TO-TABLE DINNERS POSSIBLE. SHE ALSO MAKES DIRECT DONATIONS TO FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY FACING FOOD INSECURITY. ADDITIONALLY, LILY WAS ONE OF OUR YOUTH VOLUNTEERS WHO SPEARHEADED THE EFFORTS IN OUR FLAGSHIP GARDEN TO SAVE THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES. YOU WILL ALSO SEE LILY AT THE KATIE'S KROPS DINNERS, WHERE SHE SHARES MILK WITH OUR GUESTS AND HELPS DELIVER MEALS WITH HER PARENTS. WHEN LILY ARRIVED AT A GARDEN WORKDAY WITH EVERYTHING SHE HAD SAVED IN HER PIGGY BANK TO ENSURE WE COULD CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO PROVIDE HEALTHY FRESH FOOD TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES FACING FOOD INSECURITY, THERE WAS NOT A DRY EYE TO BE FOUND. "LILY HAS THE BIGGEST HEART AND THE SWEETEST SPIRIT. I MET LILY SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN SHE WAS FOUR YEARS ONLY AND CAME TO THE GARDEN TO HELP WITH OUR MLK DAY SERVICE PROJECT. HER MOM SHARED THAT SHE WAS SO EXCITED TO COME UP AFTER READING KATIE'S CABBAGE THAT SHE GOT UP AT 3 AM THE NIGHT BEFORE AND COULDN'T GO BACK TO SLEEP. EVERY DAY SINCE THEN, SHE HAS KEPT THAT SAME EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM ABOUT GIVING BACK TO OTHERS LILY IS A FRIEND TO ALL AND SPREADS SMILES EVERYWHERE SHE GOES. AT ONLY SIX YEARS OLD, SHE HAS HELPED TO PROVIDE HEALTHY, FRESH PRODUCE TO THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS I COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD OF LILY AND ALL OF HER HARD WORK; SHE IS TRULY PROOF THAT AGE IS JUST A NUMBER AND NO MATTER HOW YOUNG OR HOW OLD YOU ARE, YOU CAN MAKE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON THE WORLD." -KATIE. THE STROHER FAMILY ARE LEGACY GROWERS. 16-YEAR-OLD ROSE STOEHR HAS KEPT THE TRADITION GROWING. OLDER SIBLINGS JACKIE AND JOHN PRECEDED HER, AND WHILE BOTH HAVE MOVED ON TO COLLEGE, THE GARDEN THEY HELPED TEND FOR YEARS AT HAWK RIDGE ELEMENTARY, A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, IS STILL GROWING. MOM CARRIE IS A TEACHER AT THE SCHOOL AND THE GARDEN COORDINATOR, AND ROSE STARTED PARTICIPATING IN 1ST GRADE. THIS GARDEN HAS BEEN GROWING FOR NINE YEARS WITH KATIE'S KROPS AND PROVIDES 500LBS OF PRODUCE ANNUALLY THE BROTHER AND SISTER DUO OF AUSTIN AND TONI CARR, AGES 8 AND 10, HAVE BEEN GROWING WITH KATIE'S KROPS FOR TWO YEARS. STUDENTS AT AMANDA CLEARCREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN RURAL OHIO BEGAN THEIR GARDEN AFTER THEIR PARENTS HEARD ABOUT KATIE'S KROPS ON THE P. ALLEN SMITH GARDENING SHOW ON PBS. THE SIBLINGS HAVE GROWN OVER 250 POUNDS OF TOMATOES, LETTUCE, ZUCCHINI, GREEN BEANS, AND CUCUMBERS. AFTER THEIR DAD TILLS THE GARDEN IN THE SPRING, TONI AND AUSTIN ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANTING, WEEDING, AND HARVESTING. THEIR GOAL IS TO EVENTUALLY GROW ENOUGH SO THAT THEY CAN PUT A FARM STAND OUTSIDE THEIR HOME WHERE EVERYONE IN THEIR SMALL COMMUNITY CAN STOP BY AND TAKE WHAT THEY NEED FOR FREE. KORBIN LEDDY, 18, FROM SOUTH DAKOTA, IS IN HIS 6TH YEAR AS A KATIE'S KROPS GROWER. HE LIVES ON A FARM IN SOUTH DAKOTA, AND BESIDES TENDING HIS 1/3 ACRE GARDEN, HE SHOWS CATTLE THROUGH 4-H. KORBIN IS A FRESHMAN ATTENDING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY AT BROOKINGS, MAJORING IN AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS WITH A MINOR IN RANCH MANAGEMENT. HIS PLANTING SEASON STARTS IN LATE APRIL OR EARLY MAY, BUT BEFORE THAT CAN OCCUR, HE USES A SKID STEER TO PREPARE THE SOIL BY INCORPORATING THE CATTLE MANURE AND COMPOST HE HAS APPLIED IN LATE FALL THROUGH LATE WINTER. THIS GETS THE SOIL READY FOR PLANTING. HE DONATES TO THE GRANT COUNTY FOOD PANTRY AND HIS CHURCH. BOTH GROUPS DISTRIBUTE THE FRESH PRODUCE TO THOSE IN NEED OVER THE VAST GEOGRAPHICAL AREA THEY COVER. KATIE'S KROPS HAS BEEN HONORED TO SUPPORT THE KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS AT REEVES ELEMENTARY FOR SEVEN YEARS AS THEY GROW A HEALTHY HARVEST TO SHARE WITH EXPANDING THE TABLE AND DORCHESTER COUNTY COMMUNITY OUTREACH - DCCO, HOPES HOUSE, AND HOME OF HOPE. THEN, ON JULY 11TH, THE UNIMAGINABLE HAPPENED. THE TEACHERS DEDICATED TO CARING FOR THE GARDEN ARRIVED TO FIND IT DESTROYED. IT BREAKS OUR HEARTS TO SHARE THAT THE ENTIRE GARDEN HAS BEEN LEVELED. LANDSCAPERS INSTALLING FRENCH DRAINS BULLDOZED THE WHOLE GARDEN, INCLUDING A GREENHOUSE. WE WERE DETERMINED TO REBUILD BEFORE THE STUDENTS RETURNED FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR. IT WAS A HUGE TASK, BUT WITH INCREDIBLE SUPPORTERS, WE WORKED WITH THE TEACHERS TO REBUILD THE GARDEN FOR THE STUDENTS TO RETURN THE NEXT DAY. WE ARE PROUD AND EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE OUR 2022 GROWERS OF THE YEAR, NORAH AND EVA DRUMMING THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A FIRST-YEAR KATIE'S KROPS GROWER HAS RECEIVED THIS HONOR, BUT WE COULD NOT THINK OF MORE WORTHY RECIPIENTS. WE ARE THRILLED TO PROVIDE NORAH AND EVA WITH SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THEIR EDUCATION. NORAH AND EVA, ONLY 12 AND 7, HAVE ENSURED THAT THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THE ELDERS AT THEIR LOCAL CHURCH, SHAWS CREEK BAPTIST, ACCESS HEALTHY, FRESH PRODUCE AND FRESH EGGS PROVIDED BY THEIR HENS NORAH AND EVA CONTINUE TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WITH THEIR KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, ENTHUSIASM, AND DEDICATION TO HELPING THEIR COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION TO THEIR OUTSTANDING EFFORTS, THEY HAVE ENGAGED WITH KATIE'S KROPS SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS TO SHARE THEIR EXCITEMENT ABOUT GROWING A HEALTHY END TO HUNGER IN THEIR COMMUNITY NORAH AND EVA ARE YEAR-ROUND GROWERS AND ARE STILL SHARING THEIR BOUNTIFUL HARVEST WITH THEIR COMMUNITY LONG AFTER THE SPRING/ SUMMER HARVEST ENDS. THEY HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED TO THEM TO INCREASE AND EXPAND THEIR REACH. THE SIBLINGS ARE LEGACY GROWERS. THEIR AUNT SHANIA WAS ALSO A KEY MEMBER OF KATIE'S KROPS GROWING FAMILY IN YEARS PAST, AND NORAH HAS BEEN IN THE GARDEN WITH US SINCE SHE WAS JUST THREE "NORAH AND EVA'S DEDICATION AND ENTHUSIASM ARE CONTAGIOUS I AM SO PROUD OF ALL THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR; I KNOW THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. THE POWER OF YOUTH IS UNMATCHED, AND NORAH AND EVA CONTINUE TO PROVE THIS EVERY DAY AS THEY HELP THEIR NEIGHBORS IN NEED GAIN ACCESS TO FRESH PRODUCE. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WONDERFUL GROWERS OF THE YEAR; I CANNOT THINK OF SOMEONE MORE DESERVING THIS HONOR." -K