General Meeting: Tuesday, July 25, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.

General Meeting: 4th Tuesday of each month (except August & December) at 10:00 a.m.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton Street, Winston Salem 27103
(just off Silas Creek Parkway via the Bolton Street exit) 

General Meetings are a time to welcome visitors, hear guest speakers, and discuss club business. Women who are new or established residents of Greater Winston Salem are invited to join.

Visitors are welcome to attend two meetings or activities before joining and paying dues.

For more information contact our Membership Manager, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422.

Annual dues are $35 – renew each September (depending on the month, dues may be prorated)

July Program:

Food Bank Garden Strives to Curb Hunger with Nutritious, Fresh Food

Speaker: Ellen Kirby

Our July program features the location of an upcoming Newcomers & Neighbors service project, the Betty and Jim Holmes Food Bank Garden. The garden is a mission-oriented community garden that grows nutritious and fresh food to meet emergency needs of people challenged by hunger in the eighteen counties served by Second Harvest Food Bank. The garden is located at 1001 Reynold Road, on the campus of Children’s Home. 

The all-volunteer organization grows 16 different crops, including tomatoes, peppers, squash, green beans, cu-cumbers, melons, and corn. Last year, the garden produced 6,038 pounds of food. Everything grown in the garden goes to Second Harvest Food Bank for distribution to food pantries, centers for children, seniors and homeless shelters, among others. The garden strives to grow the healthiest possible food while practicing conservation methods, including soil and water conservation, cover cropping, beekeeping, and intensive planting of flowers for pollination.

The idea for the garden, which began in 1998, emerged from a conversation between James Holmes, Jr., who had previously served as chairman of the Children’s Home board, and his son, James Holmes, III (Jim). Jim remembers driving past the Children’s Home property and his father’s musing about the possibility of cultivating some of the property to provide food to poor people. Jim, who was already participating in several volunteer programs, connected his Dad with people who helped get the garden off the ground. Over the years, four generations of the Holmes family have been involved in garden activities. The volunteer base includes members of local churches and synagogues, student groups, businesses, and individuals. The garden now covers three acres. 

Our Speaker: Ellen Kirby is president of the Board of Directors of the Betty and Jim Holmes Food Bank Garden. Ellen grew up in Winston Salem and, after graduating from Meredith College in Raleigh, moved to New York City for graduate studies. She worked on the professional staff of United Methodist Women for 24 years before following her love of gardening to become the founding director of the community horticulture program at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a position she held for 13 years. She retired in 2006 and moved back to Winston Salem, where she became a fulltime volunteer at the food bank garden. Ellen is a certified horticulturalist and has expertise in vegetable gardening, landscape design, and garden conservation. She is co-editor of the book Community Gardening.

Calendar of Events: July 2017

Please RSVP for all events. Non-members who wish to attend one of our events should contact our Membership Manager, Pat Titus, at 336-771-4422 for additional information or email wsnewcomers@gmail.com.

Mah Jong: Wednesday, July 5, at 1:00 p.m.

Evening Cards: Wednesday, July 5, at 7:00 p.m.

Dinner Out: Saturday, July 8, at 6:00 p.m.

Book Club: Monday, July 10, at 10:00 a.m.: Summer Book Review – Participants can discuss books they have found interesting.

Board Meeting: Tuesday, July 11, at 10:00 a.m.

Bridge Club: Thursday, July 13, at 1:00 p.m.

Travel Talk: Thursday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Day Trip Gals: Friday, July 14, at 10:00 a.m.

Mah Jong: Tuesday, July 18, at 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Bunch: Thursday, July 20, at 11:30 a.m.

Dinner & Play: Friday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m.

General Meeting: Tuesday, July 25, at 10:00 a.m.

Day Cards: Thursday, July 27, at 1:00 p.m.

 Newcomers and Neighbors - Website: http://www.wsnewcomers.blogspot.com & Membership Coordinator: wsnewcomers@gmail.com