Let's kick it up a notch!

Bam! Martha's Table! Bam! Clagett Farm! Bam! Emeril!

That's what I call a recipe for success!

Clagett Farm is a working farm, owned and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. They grow vegetables for their Community Supported Agriculture program, raise grass fed cattle and have a native tree nursery on more than 285 acres.

At Clagett Farm, the ultimate goal is to use farming methods that are truly sustainable—both economically and environmentally.Check them out at http://www.clagettfarm.org/ and http://cbf.typepad.com/clagett_farm/

Clagett Farm supports Martha's Table with a vegetable production project called "From the Ground Up." Started in 1992 as a collaboration between Capital Area Food Bank and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, almost half of the produce is distributed free or at reduced prices to under-served communities in

Washington D.C., including Martha's Table.

We were scheduled to pick up some produce on Monday afternoon, and we decided to thoroughly check it out and spend some time volunteering there. Emeril Lagasse, the famous chef, happened to be there filming for his show. We met Emeril, watched a little bit of the taping of his show, harvested garlic scapes, and packed up fresh produce to bring back to Martha's

Table. A successful day on the farm - all in a day's work!

"writing takes the boring out of Sundays"

Friday was the First Annual Career Day for the Elementary and Bridge Programs at Martha's Table. We had guests from all different types of careers from a lawyer, a banker, a writer to firefighters. I met with a 3 children from the Elementary and Bridge Program to discuss their favorite part of career day. Pictured is Alexander, Bryan and Liliana, here Liliana is describing her story Ghost Haunting.

They all expressed that they love to write, so I asked them a simple question...
Why do you write?

"I write to encourage myself to be the best I can be and to express my feelings. I also write to inspire people to do good things. I write when I am lonely and have nothing to do. Also the reason I write is to make people laugh".

- Alexander Perkins, age 9, 3rd grade. Author of the story, The Enormous Monster.

"The reason I write is to express my feelings. Many of my stories are based on true stories. My stories are a memory of my great-grandmother, elderly people talk about their experiences. I tell stories in honor of them. The ghost stories are very fast to write, and the story forms in my head as if it was waiting for me. In my way I think that writing takes the boring out of Sundays. Novels are my way of taking time to create many characters that are my inventions."

- Liliana Campos, age 10, 4th grade. Author of the story, Ghost Haunting.


The children were also very excited about seeing the firetruck and meeting firefighters.

Thanks to all the professionals that took time out of their busy schedule to show the children their potential.

This is for all the Mother's out there!

Martha's Table honored our Daycare and After-School program mothers this past Friday. The celebration included skits, songs and poems.
Here is a song that Classroom A (pre-school) performed for the mothers.


Liliana Campos in our bridge program recited this poem to all the mothers during our luncheon.

Someone

By: Elizabeth Jones
Someone meets me every day when I com in from school or play
Someone smiles and hugs me tight
Someone prays with me at night
Someone has a great big jar where all the nicest cookies are
Someone hears when call
Someone helps me when I fall
Someone always has a kiss -
Now who could be as nice as this?

Who could it be? I am sure you know
It is my mother who loves me so.