Dishing the Dirt: July 2025 Newsletter

Hello my friends!

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time accepting help. I usually tell myself that I can handle whatever situation I find myself in. Well, this past month has shown me that sometimes I need to stop, take a breath, be brave, and accept the helping hand that is being offered. Let me explain.

We are in the final stages of moving Sandy’s Garden to the Annie Crow Road location. We have had a few delays (in other words, my house is still under construction, we have no electricity and no running water, and there is a port-a-potty parked in my driveway), so my current living situation is best described as camping.

It has been wonderful being able to finally be on-site 100% of the time!

BUT…

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s been rather warm the last few weeks. Yes, we’ve had rain, but the garden was hot and needed water. The animals were hot and needed water. I was hot and needed a shower. Then, one of the “it’s so hot”summer thunderstorms blew through the area and knocked down a tree…into the garden…wiping out a fence…and the peas…and the lettuce. At first I said, “I’m fine! I’ve got this!” But I didn’t. I needed help.

Do you know what was so wonderful? Help was available. I just had to accept it. Some one hauled water- every day for two weeks. Someone came out and cut up the tree so that we could fix the fence and replant. Volunteers continued to come out and weed. Someone gave me- and my dogs- unlimited access to their air-conditioned home where we could cool down and shower.

All I had to do was accept the help that was so readily offered. But it was hard. I felt guilty accepting help when there are others who are certainly in a worse situation. In my mind, I felt that perhaps if I had done things differently, I wouldn’t have been in the situation to start with.

I wonder if people who go to the food pantries feel this way? It surely is not easy to ask for help. And what if, when we finally ask for help, there is none to be had? What if, when we ask for help, we also get a lecture?

I hope that the work we do at Sandy’s Garden sends a message to people that they are not alone, and that they are not being judged. They can accept our helping hand knowing that it is offered with understanding, compassion, and with sincere wishes for easier times ahead. Going to the food pantry does not mean that you have failed. Everyone needs help at some point in their life. This is the reason that one of our main priorities is to donate food that is healthy, wholesome, beautiful, and delicious. Everyone deserves to eat good food, not just scraps or leftovers, not wilted lettuce or mushy tomatoes.

To date, we have donated 1,695 pounds of fresh and nutritious food to the 6 food pantries here in Kent County! We have grown, and donated, lettuce, spinach, kale, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, snow peas, beets, yellow squash, zucchini, peppers, green beans, eggplant, cucumbers, and tomatoes!

We are also growing flowers in the garden. They provide much needed food for the bees and butterflies that pollinate our garden. Not to mention, they are beautiful! (Speaking of beautiful, I want to thank the Chestertown Plein Aire Painters who came out one morning this month and recreated the beauty of the garden on canvas!) The flowers are the type that will grow bigger and stronger if they are cut regularly. Therefore, in order to keep the flowers growing as long as possible, (and raise some needed funds) we will be selling cut flower bouquets. Come out to the garden and cut your own!

We will be holding a pop-up fundraiser at the Chestertown Farmer's Market this coming Saturday, July 19th from 8am -12noon.  We will be selling bouquets of cut flowers that are growing at the garden.  Please let me know if you would like to help at the Market!

I hope that the upcoming days of summer bring us all joy and laughter and happiness (and plumbing). And if they do not, I hope that you remember that you are never alone in this world. Stop, take a breath, and open your heart and hands so that you may receive the help that is available.