Fruitful Offerings, an affiliate of the Dedham Food Pantry, is working to help pantry clients and those in need to integrate more fresh food into diets by providing vegetable plants in growing containers, teaching self-sustaining growing skills and offering free cooking classes. Fruitful Offerings was co-founded by Dedham residents Ann Miranda and Andrea Gilmore. In June 2014, over 100 tomato plants in ready to grown containers were distributed to pantry clients who each received a plant, tomato cage, fertilizer and trilingual growing instructions. The lightweight, compact and portable planting containers, (45 were donated by Grainger of Norwood, MA) help to simplify the growing process. The plants were grown, cared for and repotted by the Endicott Community Greenhouse, a non-profit that gives back to the Dedham community by offering educational programs at Dedham elementary schools and scholarships. Our donation to the Endicott Community Greenhouse will help others and stay in the Dedham community. Beginning October 2014, Fruitful Offerings is hosting free cooking classes in support of our mission to remove barriers to using fresh ingredients. The classes will focus on easy to prepare recipes and techniques using fresh vegetables and foods readily available at the pantry. Whole Foods and First Church of Dedham have generously sponsored these classes. Our new Director of Cooking Classes is Virginia Hickey-Ferentinos. In 2015, Fruitful Offerings hopes to expand the variety and quantity of vegetable plants distributed to pantry clients as well as continue our cooking class series and link clients to free gardening classes provided by the Town of Dedham. This charity would not be without the support of some very special people including our Chief Technology Officer, Mason Miranda who also wears many other hats simultaneously, the generosity of Mia Xavier of Compass Promotion, our public relations and promotional management firm, Kerry Hawkins, artist, fine art photographer and Dedham Square Artist Guild Co-Founder who designed our beautiful new logo and all the volunteers and donors. If you are interested in donating, volunteering or if you would like more information, please contact Ann Miranda at [email protected].
