Supporting individuals living with quadriplegia is a collective effort that thrives on community involvement and dedication. In a heartwarming display of unity, the community came together to make InSpirit's 2024 plant sale a remarkable success.
The Plant Sale is created by such a wonderful amalgam of people. Everyone involved knows that the goal is to raise funds to support InSpirit’s work, but the project brings out the talents of gardeners, carpenters, artists, and their friends. It has been going on for so long now, that there are some in the community who will be starting new plants for next year’s sale right after this year’s sale is over!
I start reminding home gardeners to put plants aside for us in October, when they may be dividing perennials that have outgrown their space, but the first gathering of the team who plants seeds at our greenhouse is in January. We sit with our notes from the year before, and think about what grew well and sold well, then we consider how to stretch our small budget as far as we can. Some years we have seeds left over from past seasons that we might be able to use again, if they pass our germination test. One of the first angels that comes along is the one who lets us buy seeds through her account at a discount.
By February we have our seeds decided. Next is to get enough soil to grow them! There are a flock of angels who help here. Manure enriched compost comes from the local horse ranch. Second time round, but nutrient rich planting mix comes from a local marijuana grower. A friend comes down the road with a wheelbarrow full of her garden soil, the person who always starts his tomatoes in new soil lets us come and dig up last years. Someone emails us that we can come dig leaf mold from under his trees. Another arrives with sacks of soil amendments. In a good year we may only need to buy one bag of seed starter.
The garden crew assembles, usually 3 or 4 regulars with an occasional drop in. We meet once a week to plant, and take turns watering the other days. First in are the sweet pea seeds. Another angel appears with two flats of spring flowers that should be sold well before the sale, so we start planning a greenhouse sale for them and peas and maybe spring bulbs.
The greenhouse is sturdy, but there are always repairs to make. Another angel calls to say he could come by next week after work.
For a couple of years, we had wonderful middle school interns who joined us after school, learning about plants and helping with watering and mixing soil. May that happen again!
While all this is going on at our greenhouse, gardeners all over the Valley and beyond are planting an extra container (or two or more) of seedlings for us. They are going out into their backyards and potting up bulbs, and herbs, and native plants so they will be well established before the sale. The retired teacher is again helping the school kids plant tomatoes and basil and flowers for us.
Did I mention the people who bring us plastic pots for our seedlings? The artists who bring us their ceramic pots? The yard sale sleuths who save garden related finds for us? The sign makers, the flyer distributors? The business that let us post in their windows?
It gets more intense of course as we get close to sale time. Time to check in with another angel: the coordinator who will head up the action on the day before and the day of the sale. Time to get the bedding plant donation from Fairfax Hardware, the keys to the toilet and the hose bib from the school secretary. Time to organize the drivers who will transport our treasures to the school, to see if the Lions Club will once again protect the plants overnight by covering the school lunch shelter with tarps. More angels! The banner goes up at the base of White’s Hill, the sandwich boards we have used for 30 years are spruced up and strategically placed. Our experts arrive to help us know the worth of this exotic, that hanging basket…
And it is finally sale day. The morning crew places tables, and moves hundreds of plants out from the lunch shelter to the spots Karen designates. The sellers, the cashiers, the waterers take their places. Board members man several spots, including the welcomer, who directs the buyers, old friends and new so they will find just the right plant for their backyard, their Mother’s Day gift, their front porch, their shady spot, their way too sunny spot, their child’s first time growing a tomato.
5 hours later hundreds of plants have found new homes, but hundreds remain, and it is time for the next angels to arrive to pack it all back up again, to bring the rest of the plants to their temporary home before…yes, the after-sale a week later.
This year I tried to make a thank you list of everyone who participated. I probably missed some, but even so there are more than 74 people, 4 organizations and one store. Donations for plants over the two sale days brought in more than $12,000, as well as hundreds of smiles. And by the end of the Summer it will also have brought in fresh tomatoes from many garden patches.
Thank you to this year’s gardeners, plant sale donors, and volunteers!
1. Sherry Afrakhan
2. Christin Anderson
3. Kyra Auerbach
4. Jason Bird
5. Elvin Bishop
6. Buck Chavez
7. Kate Clayton
8. John Cobb
9. Diane Coughtry
10. Barbara DenOuden
11. Leo DenOuden
12. Calvin Donley
13. Diane Easton-Brown
14. Diana English
15. Fairfax Hardware and Lumber
16. Jerry Feickert
17. Lee Feickert
18. Stephen Feig
19. Stephanie Fein
20. Delaney Felder
21. Edieann Fleming
22. Roberta Floden
23. Leslie Franklin
24. Maya Friedman
25. Gabi Friedrich
26. Jorg Friedrich
27. Richard Gray
28. Joan Green
29. John Gunnarson
30. Marcia Gunnarson
31. James Haworth
32. Poppy Henderson
33. Janet Hughes
34. Peg Hunter
35. John Kaufman
36. Breeze Kinsey
37. Steve Kinsey
38. Kiersten Kotaka
39. Kevin Kotaka
40. Lagunitas Community School Students
41. Lagunitas School District
42. David Lakes
43. Lois Lane
44. Robert Lasser
45. Judith Levin
46. Avis Licht
47. Nancy Rae Ludwigsen
48. Marissa Marks
49. Marty Meade
50. Tony Miceli
51. Laurie Mosher
52. Dana Nolan
53. Buck Parle
54. Snuey Perlman
55. Allison Puglisi
56. David Puglisi
57. Joe Puhalski
58. Steve Rebscher
59. Helen Romero
60. Sarah Salin
61. San Geronimo Valley Community Center
62. San Geronimo Valley Lions Club
63. Eileen Schatz
64. Anastasia Scott
65. Jaimie Shelton
66. Gina Smith
67. Hope Sofrenko
68. Josh Traub
69. Ryan Troy
70. Amy Valens
71. Lucca Alcaraz Valens
72. Tom Valens
73. Buzz Voytovitch
74. Constance Washburn
75. Tona Wheeler
76. Molly Whitely
77. Stefanie Wright
78. Adam Yannow
79. Karen Zaccaglini