In McLean, a community tucked inside Fairfax County, not everyone can access the food they need for good health. I interviewed Julie Mendoza about her efforts to connect hungry families in McLean with fresh produce.

Julie knew that Share McLean, a food pantry that serves hungry families in the area, often lacked fresh produce. As she was walking through the McLean community garden one day, she noticed that there was an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. She decided she would try to facilitate a relationship between the garden and Share McLean, calling it The Gardeners’ Share of McLean.

Young gardeners at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church grow food for The Gardener’s Share.

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Woodsy Owl and Forest Service staff members visited Braddock Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia on Friday, Jan. 14 to kickoff the school-wide Recycling Program.  Forest Service employees were part of a K-2^nd grade assembly that focused on educating students about the four R’s—reduce, reuse, recycle and rot.

Tamberly Conway, Conservation Education Coordinator, along with Maritza Huerta from Sustainable Operations, gave a Spanish and English bilingual presentation to kids about how recycling benefits the environment. The students were also offered a hands-on opportunity to practice making compost, an essential part of the “rot” portion of the four R’s. Read more »