SHIM Garden - Thank You Letter from SHIM

The following letter was received from SHIM.

Thank You From SHIM!

The holidays are a time to reflect on the many we are grateful for, both personally and professionally. Each of you and your volunteers are at the top of the list for SHIM. Your continued support of SHIM's Community Gardens Program is what made it possible for SHIM to distribute 19,023 pounds of fresh produce to our South Hills neighbors through our food pantries this growing season! I am personally grateful as you have literally helped to grow a cornerstone program for SHIM that I never envisioned when we planted our pilot garden here at SHIM in 2012. It is a remarkable accomplishment that is only possible when community partners work together toward the same goal.

Not only does SHIM's garden program help to provide for the basic needs of our South Hills clients in the form of healthy food options, but we also partner with outside organizations to offer our clients beginning gardening, cooking, and nutrition education classes, providing lifelong skills on the journey to self-sufficiency. Partnerships

with The Allegheny Land Trust, Grow Pittsburgh, Tree Pittsburgh and Phipps have provided opportunities for community interest workshops on topics such as identifying trees, planting native plants to attract pollinators, and treating pests and diseases.

The SHIM Community Gardens Program truly embodies building community by growing fresh produce for those in need, offering education benefits for our clients, our after-school program, and our summer camp program, and by offering gardening and environmental education opportunities for our volunteers and members of South Hills

Community.

We are grateful for your contributions to the success of the SHIM Community Gardens Program and look forward to building on that success in the growing seasons ahead.

Becky Henninger

Community Gardens Program Manager | South Hills Interfaith Movement