Greater Lansing Food Bank Benefits

String Connection’s Food Drive. Attend one of the 4 Spring Recitals of the Academy of Music at String Connection on Friday May 16 at 6:30 p.m., Saturday May 17 at noon and at 3:00 p.m., and Sunday May 18 at 3:00 p.m. at the Vineyard Café, 3448 Hagadorn Rd, Okemos, Mich. (corner of Jolly and Hagadorn) and help the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s pantry network. Admission will be one non-perishable food item per guest. Call 517/664/1111 or email StringConnection@acd.net for more information.

Plan for “Grow-A-Row”. Calling all gardeners in the Greater Lansing area. NOW’s the time to plan for extra crops in your garden so you can donate fresh produce for the 8th Annual Greater Lansing Great Harvest Grow-A-Row on Sunday August 24th and September 7th . Deliver your home-grown or store-bought vegetables to Van Atta’s Greenhouse at 9008 Old M 78 in Haslett or the L&L Food Centers at 3800 W Saginaw and 5016 S MLK Blvd from noon to 3 p.m. on each of the two Sundays. Food Movers will pick up the produce and distribute to shelters, community kitchens, food pantries, et al. Van Atta’s will also accept donations at other times; for information call Community Projects Coordinator Scott Cameron at 517/349/4437.

Events to Note

Shop the Farmers’ Markets. Get your “5-A-Day” from a Greater Lansing area market near you:
Allen Street Farmers’ Market, in the parking lot at 1617 W Kalamazoo, is open Wednesdays from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Stop by GP Garden/Gleaning Supervisor Phil Throop’s Wildflower Farm booth. Vendors will take Food Stamp/EBT cards and WIC Project Fresh coupons.
Lansing City Market, 333 N Cedar, is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parking is free.
Meridian Farmers’ Market is in the Central Park Pavilion of the Meridian Municipal Complex, 5151 Marsh Rd in Okemos. Spring hours, from May 3 to June 28, 2008, are on Saturdays only from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Old Town Farmers’ Market will be held the first Sunday of every month from May 6 to October 7, 2007 on the corner of Turner St. & E. Grand River Ave from 1 to 5 p.m. Look for fresh fruits, vegetables and farm-grown plants and enjoy Old Town’s First Sunday Gallery Walk. Call the Old Town Commercial Association at 517/485/4283 for details.
Southside Farmers’ Market. The Southside Community Coalition hosts a Farmers’ Market at 2101 W Holmes in Lansing every Tuesday from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Vendors will take EBT Bridge cards. For more information call 517/394/3217.

National Egg Month. What food item is most likely consumed every day at breakfast, lunch and dinner? Why the “Incredible, Edible Egg,” of course. Besides being a main course, eggs are a necessary ingredient in many recipes. For tasty ideas this May check out the American Egg Board website. For nutrition, history and handling information, go to the Egg Nutrition Center.

National Strawberry Month. Did you know that this luscious fruit is a member of the rose family? Make each day come up strawberries during the merry month of May. Find recipes, nutrition information, gardening tips and trivia at Easy-Strawberry-Recipes.com.

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Participate in this largest one-day food drive in the nation on Saturday May 10, 2008 and place a bag of non-perishable food items by your mailbox. Sponsored each year by the National Association of Letter Carriers, members have delivered over 70 million pounds of food to community food banks, pantries and shelters each year for the past four years. Campbell Soup Company will once again donate 1 million cans of soup for nationwide distribution, plus 1,000 cans of soup to food banks or pantries designated by each of the top food-gathering branches in 10 membership categories. Learn more at HelpStampOutHunger.com.

Victorian Tea. The Friends of Historic Meridian are hosting a Victorian Tea on May 10, 2008 at the 1870’s Barnes House Inn and Tavern, 5151 Marsh Rd, Okemos, Mich. In addition to tea, lemonade and refreshments will be served. Reservations are required for the four half-hour seating times which start at 1:00 p.m.—call 517/347/7300. Cost is $8/person; adults and children of all ages are welcome. Come early to tour the other historic buildings in the Meridian Historic Village.

Meridian Garden Club Plant Sale. This annual event, held on Friday May 16, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature a wide selection of plant types and varieties donated by Meridian Garden Club members. Proceeds support local, state and national garden club projects. The sale will take place at the Central Park Farmers’ Market Pavilion, 5151 Marsh Rd in Okemos, Mich. For more information contact Mary Marvin at 517/349/2477.

Start Your Garden Day. Kids can spend an afternoon in the garden getting dirty, finding cool plants and learning to sow seeds on Saturday May 17, 2008 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden on the corner of Wilson & Bogue Streets, MSU Campus. Parking is free. Register at the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden site or call 517/355/5191 ext. 1327.

MSU Garden Plant Sale. The Michigan State University Dept. of Horticulture is sponsoring a plant sale on May 31, 2008 from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Plant & Soil Sciences Building, MSU Campus, East Lansing, Mich. Parking is free. Featured will be divisions from the DeLapa Perennial Garden as well as annuals, vegetables, trees and shrubs. Come check out the line of Cool Kids Plants from the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden.

Kids’ Garden Work Party. Learn how to transplant, divide, weed, edge and plant a garden on Saturday June 7, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden on the corner of Wilson & Bogue Streets, MSU Campus. Parking is free. More information can be found at the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden site or call 517/355/5191 ext. 1327.