Mary's Garden

Mary's garden expands to become an organic produce stand, and then expands again into a building with a vegetarian kitchen and dining room. People come from miles around to eat the delicious food that is served there, grown on the land nearby.

The author is a member of the Bioneers, which stands for "biological pioneers" (www.Bioneers.org). Marika is learning about many projects to naturally restore human health and the planet. At the 2004 Bioneers Conference, LaDonna Redmond spoke about the issue of bringing organic foods and urban farms to poor local communities which have otherwise been left out of the picture.

LaDonna's son had terrible allergies, and she decided to improve her family's nutrition to help him get better. She made the shocking statement that, in her inner Chicago neighborhood, "It's easier to buy a 38 caliber pistol than to find an organic apple " She and her husband started an inner city organic produce store as a result of this revelation. Marika decided to create an organic gardening project to blanket her county, the nation, and the world with organic, local sources of healthful food. She also formed a nonprofit organization, JOY OF LEARNING CENTERS (www.joyoflearningcenters.org) to teach about the relationship of good food to human health. The Project is called The Prosperity Project, and is described on the website. All profits from sales of "Mary's Garden" will be used to support The Prosperity Project. By buying this book, you will be investing in good health for yourself, your family and your fellow human beings world wide

Mary's Garden is designed to appeal to "children of all ages," from the very young to the young adults and parents who might be moved to create a similar project. It's also an inspiration for people to create similar programs in their own area, with a flyer and photos showing how to get started. There's a coloring book called "Wiggle E. Worm" that all children seem to love.