Programs Director, Tom Cook reports that 476 gardens were prepared and grew vegetables on the reservation last year. Plenty donated $2,000 to the effort. In 2004, Tom plans to organize more community gardens that will be managed by Lakota ìTiospayesî (traditional extended families), a strategy which Tom believes will bring more people into the program who will benefit from the fresh, organically-grown vegetables. Incidence of diabetes and heart disease among reservation Lakotas is way above the national average.

Iraq

Plenty has agreed to fiscally sponsor a new project to introduce and expand the use of soyfoods in Iraq. In January of this year, Plenty soy specialist, Chuck Haren and his wife, Casta Calderon who is also a soy expert, traveled to Turkey, Jordan and Iraq where they demonstrated soy processing for interested individuals, groups and a Baghdad hospital. Farmers in Iraq have expressed an interest in growing soybeans and Chuck is currently working to make seed available for planting this spring.

Israel

Plenty partners, Shmuel and Allison Ofanansky are in northern Israel developing a permaculture demonstration and education center, and helping with a small soyfoods business. They are also doing gardening and tree-planting with school children. They write, "While our projects are not directly political, we see ecology and permaculture as bridges between [Arab and Israeli] communities." For more information, you can contact Allison and Schmuel at smed@netvision.net.il.

Two Ways To Support Plenty

1. Order your Plenty 30th Anniversary tee shirts NOW! Visit our webstore, call or email us to place an order.
2. Check out the iGive.com link from the donation page on the Plenty website. When you buy from merchants listed there, they donate a percentage of every sale to Plenty. www.plenty.org/donate.html

Plenty Board of Directors Changes

Bruce Curtis is stepping down from his position as Plenty Board Chair (though remaining on the Board). Bruce, Plenty’s Board Chair since late 1999, is being replaced by returning Board member Thomas Wartinger. Bruce is currently Project Manager of a USAID funded program with the World Institute on Disability (WID) to assist disability NGOs in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Siberia and Uzbekistan. WID and its project partners will empower disabled youths, parents and other members of the community in these countries to challenge discrimination against persons with disabilities and to advocate for the elimination of the social and physical infrastructure barriers to an equal education faced by young disabled people.