by Stephanie Ashton
COUNTY – Small Potatoes Gleaning Project, which has operated in Whatcom County for 10 seasons, became a project of the Bellingham Food Bank in 2009. Small Potatoes provides a service to 27 hunger relief agencies around Whatcom County by delivering a much needed resource: fresh produce. Max Morange, Small Potatoes’ Program Coordinator, shares more about the vital organization:

SA: How was Small Potatoes initially formed?
MM: The idea and leadership of the project originated with founding coordinator, Rio Thomas. Rio lives in the heart of farming country in Whatcom County. During the growing season, she saw tons of food from local farms and home orchards being composted or discarded [knowing] that there were volunteers and hungry families throughout the county who would be interested in helping to harvest it for area food banks.
In 2009, Rio decided that it was time to step back from the coordination of the project, and she asked if the Bellingham Food Bank would be interested in taking over its administration. In all those years, the mission and implementation of the project really hadn’t changed, and it runs today much as it did in the first season: over the growing season, [the Bellingham Food Bank] gets calls from farmers and home gardeners who have excess fruit or vegetables they’d like to donate. Gleans are scheduled for almost every day during the growing season, and in 2010, we hope that the project will beat it’s 2009 record of 135,000 pounds of food harvested.

SA:  Can you tell us a little about the places you glean?
MM: Small Potatoes gleans at farms, homes (usually those with fruit trees), and the Bellingham Farmers Market. We work with the farmer, homeowner, and market staff to ensure that hosting gleaners is a positive experience. At the end of the season, we send a receipt stating the number of pounds of food gleaned.

SA:  How have patrons of the food bank responded to the gleaned items?
MM: The response has been terrific. Food bank supplies of fresh produce are often low at the beginning of the harvest season and at its end. Even during peak summer season, when victory garden donations are at their peak, there are still few limits on the amount of fresh produce that can go to good use.  The difference between a canned vegetable item and one that’s been harvested hours before distribution is like that of night and day.  The Food Bank has had very positive feedback about the project. A number of food bank clients have also expressed interest in helping to glean produce, which is a great way for them to get connected to the hunger relief effort in a very productive way.

SA: Does the gleaned food seem to fulfill the demand for fresh produce, or do you find you have shortages?
MM: Client visits to the Bellingham Food Bank have risen by about 40 percent in the last two years alone, and the need for healthy food for distribution is greater than it’s ever been.  Gleaned produce is often some of the freshest and most nutritious that food banks offer clients—in many ways it’s no different from harvesting from one’s own garden. Most appreciated are opportunities to access food in the early and late season, although this if often more feasible from farms which focus on growing things over a longer period of time. The project can always use more opportunities.

SA: Are there gleaned items you find you get the most of? Ones you aren’t able to gather as easily?

MM: 2009 marked a fantastic year for gleaning fruit (plums, apples, pears) as well as corn and potatoes. Zucchini measures pretty high on the list as well. Other, more delicate items, such as blueberries and raspberries are a real treat for food bank clients, although they do have a slightly shorter shelf-life.
For volunteer opportunities, or to donate produce, e-mail glean@bellinghamfoodbank.org.

Summer is finally here. So, here are a few helpful reminders for keeping your plants watered through our dry, sunny summer days.
In Whatcom County, it is typically best to water in the morning as opposed to the evening. In hotter, drier areas like Eastern Washington you are told the opposite, because much of the “morning water” evaporates and is unusable to the plants. Therefore they water in the evening.
Here it’s not near as hot, and watering in the evening leaves water on the foliage which may encourage many of our Pacific Northwest diseases. That being said, watering in the evening after work is better that no water at all.
Slow and thorough waterings are always best. A thorough watering gets water way down in the ground, so the roots grow way down in the ground. A little sprinkling of water for two minutes keeps all the water at the surface. All the roots will then grow at the surface, and you get that dries out a lot faster.
Be sure to keep all your vegetable crops well watered right now.  Under-watered salad greens quickly go to seed (bolt) and yield poorly. It’s especially important to water your tomatoes in the morning; avoid getting water on the tomato leaves to help avoid diseases like late blight.
Under-watered squash, cukes, and pumpkins (especially zucchini) get powdery mildew on their largest leaves first. We generally think that water on the foliage spreads disease; it can. Here, however, lack of water creates a stressed zucchini plant that can’t as easily “fight off” powdery mildew naturally.  (The same is true for columbines, delphiniums, roses, bee balm, honeysuckles, to name a few.)
Now that it’s warmer and your hanging baskets have been growing, they’ve made a lot of roots and will require a lot more water. Combination or mixed hanging baskets dry out very quickly with all those plants in one basket.
Fuchsias and begonias, however, being in the shade, typically require less frequent watering.Begonias especially will suffer if over-watered. If in doubt, stick your finger an inch or two into the soil; if it’s wet, don’t water it.
If you go out of town for the weekend and return to find your hanging baskets wilting (a common phenomenon), don’t panic.  Take them down and soak them in a tub or bucket in the shade for an hour or two; you may have a few yellow leaves to remove.  Also, avoid fertilizing a dry hanging basket; water it well first, and then fertilize the next day.
Definitely continue to water your new plantings whether they are fruit trees, perennials, annuals, lawn, etc.  Even new plantings of drought tolerant plants like lavender, juniper, and barberry need regular waterings to establish a good root system. Again avoid getting water on foliage as much as possible.
Soaker hoses are a great way to water flower beds. Wind the soaker hose through your beds, tomatoes or whatever, and use those weed barrier staples to keep the soaker hose lying flat on the ground.  Just hook up your garden hose to the soaker hose and let it run for an hour or two or however long you might need.  Soaker hoses soak the ground, and no water gets on the foliage.  And you can leave them set up on the ground all year long.
Some plants need way more/less water than others.  As always, know your plant! Remember, try to water in the morning, but watering in the evening is better than no water at all.  And less frequent, slow, thorough waterings are better than frequent quick waterings.  Here’s to keepin’ it watered.
Chuck McClung has a Master’s Degree in Botany and helps others solve their indoor and outdoor gardening dilemmas. He can be reached at orchidfruit@hotmail.com

by Brita Adkinson
DEMING – Local artists will have their art on display in the new meeting room at the Deming Library, during summer and fall. The first art show opened July 6, featuring paintings by Paul Temperio of the South Fork Valley, and will run through Aug. 8. Among Temperio’s artworks are portraits and several striking images of Mount Shuksan.
On Aug. 16, Max Lucy will open the second exhibition, featuring photographs. Lucy, a 23 year-old graduate of Mt Baker High School, grew up on Mosquito Lake Road in Deming. Lucy’s father is a potter (co-founder of Cloudy Mountain Pottery) and his mother creates quilts.
“I’ve been surrounded by art and directly or indirectly encouraged to create my whole life by my parents,” Lucy said.
During his high school years, Lucy traveled to Costa Rica and South Africa with the Experiment in International Living. “For the first time I had my own 35 mm camera and was presented with subjects that were foreign to me and hence, personally captivating.”
After high school, Lucy attended the University of San Francisco and graduated with a degree in International Studies: Environment and Development, with minors in African Studies and Environmental Science. In those four years, Lucy traveled to India and Japan, studied abroad for a year with the School for International Training in Switzerland and Uganda, and also traveled in Europe, Egypt, and East Africa. Lucy’s photography pictures life in the countries he visited.
“The photos convey a shared sense of commonality that wherever one is in a US city, in a rural African village, in a national park, or in a different time, there are people who have the same simple emotions as people always have.”
Currently, Lucy works for the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), an international organization which partners with more than 300 community-based organizations throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America to support sustainable change. The work involves public health, youth and education, environmental degradation, entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and human rights. Lucy’s photographs will be on display until September 12.
From September 27 until October 24, textile art will be on show, featuring quilts and other textile art by Paula Graham, of Deming. Around 20 years ago, Graham began making quilts, wall hangings and other textile art works, for herself and as gifts for friends and family. In the beginning, she learned rules and traditions in quilt making and worked in the established traditions. Eventually, Graham began making her own patterns and “bent the rules.” She said doing so “felt invigorating and allowed me to experience a sense of creativity that I did not expect fabric to provide.” These days, she has freed herself of all rules and enjoys creating new patterns and styles in her art.
During November, a group exhibition will feature local crafts.
In the spring 2010, the Friends of the Deming Library, a 500-member support group, formed a sub-committee called Foothills Arts and Crafts Exhibits, FACE, with the purpose to organize these art shows. “When we looked at the walls of the new meeting room, we thought this is a good place for showing art,” said Sharon Digby, committee chair and coordinator of the art shows. Digby, who previously worked for the Whatcom County Planning Department, has spent the last seven years supporting the Deming Library through the Friends. She served as project manager for the extension of the Deming Library, completed last year.
Art shows will be 4-6 weeks in duration. “We will be emphasizing artists from the foothills area, but are not restricting ourselves geographically,” commented Digby.
Local artists who wish to exhibit their art may contact Sharon Digby at 592-2286, or the Deming Library at 592-2422.

Proposed service cuts
Service Reduction Proposals from original plan which have not changed:
• Sunday service would be eliminated, including Specialized Transportation.
• Route 23 would be eliminated.
• Route 24 would have daytime service reduced to once an hour from twice an hour and would depart Cordata Station at :55 after the hour.
• Route 28X (Ferndale) would be eliminated.
• Route 55 (Blaine and Birch Bay) mid-day trip would be eliminated.
• Route 401 (The Red Line) would be reduced to service every 30 minutes on Saturday and once an hour on evenings.
• Evening service would be reduced by one trip on routes 15 Downtown, 24 and 401.

Service Reduction Proposals which have changed following a public hearing on May 19:
• Routes 3 & 4 would be retained. Routing in the Birchwood neighborhood would be modified so that service on Bennett Dr. and Cottonwood Ave. is retained (though service would be eliminated on Patton St., Pinewood Ave. and Birchwood Ave). The Willows senior living center would have service on Routes 3 and 4. This change increases service to Bellingham Technical College and St. Joseph Hospital.
• Routes 9 & 10 would be eliminated.
• Route 25X (Lynden) would be retained and would also serve east Lynden (rather than start and end at 4th and Grover).
• Route 26 (Lynden) would be reduced to every 90 minutes. Service in Lynden to Pine St. and Double Ditch Rd. would be retained.
• Route 27 (Ferndale) would have service retained on LaBounty Dr. and Vista Dr.
• Route 49 would have the 3:48PM trip from Bakerview Spur and the 4:10PM trip from Bellingham Station eliminated.
• Route 55 (Blaine and Birch Bay) mid-day local service would be eliminated (local service connecting with Route 70X would be retained).
• Route 72X (Kendall) service to Van Zandt would be eliminated.
• Route 541 (Part of the Plum Line) would be eliminated. Routes 525 and 540 would be reconfigured so that Alabama Hill, Squalicum High School and a portion of both the Tweed Twenty and Silver Beach neighborhoods retain service. Service would be eliminated on Barkley Blvd, Britton Road, and North Shore Drive between Silver Beach and Britton Road. This would cause the “Plum Line” to no longer have service every 15 minutes (it would have three buses per hour rather than four).
Those unable to comment in person at the hearing can comment by e-mail to comment@ridewta.com or by leaving a message at 715-4500. Comments must be received before 3 p.m. on June 28. Questions should be directed to Rick Nicholson at 738-4585 or rickn@ridewta.com.

by BRITA ADKINSON
SUMAS – A ceremony to dedicate a new memorial honoring veterans buried at the Sumas Cemetery will be held on Monday, Memorial Day, at 12 noon, at the Sumas Cemetery. The dedication will be the final part of the annual Memorial Day ceremonies.
The newly constructed memorial is a 10- by 10-foot slab with stepping stones displaying military logos; and above the slab is a board displaying the names of 146 veterans who served in the military and who were buried at the cemetery. The feature includes two benches.
Lynden High School student Cory Shanahan, who lives in Everson, decided to build this memorial as part of his endeavor to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Shanahan drew plans for the project and obtained permission from the cemetery authority to construct the memorial. Shanahan belongs to Boy Scout Troop number 26 in Ferndale. He received help from about 20 boy scouts from his troop.
“My Dad is the commander of the American Legion (Post 212) in Sumas,” Shanahan said, “and through the legion I learned about many things the veterans do to serve our country.” He continued: “I got my inspiration from that. I thought, what a great way to pay them back for what they’ve done for us.”
Shanahan began constructing the memorial in November 2009 with support from the scout group as well as his family. Some local businesses also assisted the project by donating materials, including Ferndale Ready Mix & Gravel, of Lynden, which poured the concrete. Shanahan’s parents, James and Lora Shanahan, supported the project in many ways. “Cory put 400 hours into this work,” said Lora Shanahan.
“First I thought I’d be able to complete the project by April,” Shanahan said. But the project demanded a great deal of time. “I was happy to have the project finished just in time for the Memorial Day,” he said, adding he hopes to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout some time this summer.
Shanahan said he hopes members of the public will want to participate in Monday’s ceremony.

Dr. Thompson traveled to Haiti in April to treat earthquake victims.

Five years ago, Dr. Thompson, a family doctor in Sumas, founded Healing Clinic Ministries, an organization that provides medical assistance to people in third world countries.
In April, Dr. Thompson traveled to Haiti. He joined a large group of volunteers, who came from various parts of the United States and Canada. The group consisted mainly of Christian missionaries from different congregations and churches who provided assistance to earthquake victims and also organized Christian prayer gatherings.
“I was the only physician in the group,” said Dr. Thompson. He said that he arrived in Haiti with packages of medicines and medical supplies worth $15,000, all paid for by donations. Along with 11 volunteers, he traveled from the capital Port-au-Prince out to remote areas around 75 miles north of Port-au-Prince, where they worked April 8-11 to help earthquake victims.
“Every day, I worked throughout the whole day seeing patients,” said Dr. Thompson.
Local physicians assisted him and also served as interpreters for the local people, who speak Haitian Creole language. According to Dr. Thompson, much of the international aid has been focused on Port-au-Prince, while some remote villages continue to be in great need of help. Dr. Thompson attended to patients with conditions such as high blood pressure, arthritis, skin problems, and parasites due to the scarcity of clean water.
In spite of international relief efforts, Haiti’s capital is still desperately in need of assistance, said Dr. Thompson. “When we walked through the streets of Port-au-Prince, we felt the smell of dead bodies that are still buried in the rubble,” Dr. Thompson shared. So far, the city has not had the capacity to deal with all the demolished buildings. When he left Haiti, Dr. Thompson left a substantial gift of medical supplies to the local health clinics.
The journey to Haiti was initiated by a large network of Christian groups in North America, who also organize travel to other third world countries to provide volunteer services. Haiti is not the only place that received assistance from Dr. Thompson and Healing Clinic Ministries. The Sumas doctor has served in a similar capacity on several other third world missions.
In 2004, Dr. Thompson joined a large group that traveled to India to assist villages affected by the tsunami. During this trip, the mission’s prayer gatherings attracted more than 100,000 people.
“I made three trips to India,” Dr. Thompson commented, adding that he also has worked as a doctor in Uganda, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, and Mozambique. Each time he traveled with Christian aid groups. On half of these trips, he was the only physician in the group.
“When we gathered for prayer in Nigeria, around 1.6 million people joined,” Dr. Thompson said.
Born in Kamloops, British Columbia, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., and completed his Doctorate in Medicine at Loma Linda University, CA. Dr. Thompson finished his studies in family medicine at the University of West Florida.
Since 2005, Dr. Thompson and his wife of 27 years, Sara Thompson, have worked together in their family clinic in Sumas, where Sara  is office manager.
“I enjoy working in Sumas. I like practicing family medicine in a small community,” Dr. Thompson shared.
He wants local people to know that he welcomes Medicare and Medicaid patients. “If I go and help people in the third world, I feel I also want to help people in need in my own neighborhood,” he said.
Contact Dr. Thompson and Healing Clinic Ministries on 988-9404.