2022-Core Consultants SWAT: Community Food Harvest @ The Governor's Mansion

Start Date-End Date: 10/04/2022-10/04/2022 Land Manager Office: Land Manager Contact: Barbara Masoner Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Grow Local Colorado Summary: Harvest vegetable gardens with Grow Local Colorado! Description: Project photo by Jerry Severns Where You'll Be: The Colorado Governor's Mansion, located in the heart of Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, is a member of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Originally built as a private residence in 1908, it was given to the State of Colorado as an executive residence in 1959. In 2011, Governor Hickenlooper donated the plants that were to become the First Family's Giving Garden, planted by Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado in conjunction with Grow Local Colorado. What You'll Do: Looking for an easy way to get outside and give back to your community? Look no further! Through our long-standing partnership with Grow Local Colorado, volunteers ages 8+ will spend the evening harvesting the veggie garden at the Governor's Mansion. Grow Local maintained the gardens throughout the summer and VOC is returning to help harvest the vegetables, which will be donated to local residents in need. Why it Matters: The vegetables that volunteers harvest will be donated to local food banks, homeless shelters, and families in need. This partnership with Grow Local Colorado creates a more connected community; demonstrates the beauty and efficacy of edibles gardens; inspires residents to plant their own vegetable gardens; and contributes to a more sustainable food chain by reducing our carbon footprint. About Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC)Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) is the state's oldest, largest, and leading outdoor stewardship nonprofit organization. Founded in 1984 to motivate and enable people to become active stewards of Colorado's natural resources, VOC has engaged nearly 126,000 people in more than 1,000 volunteer projects for a donated labor value of $25 million. Through award-winning youth and volunteer programs, leadership training, capacity-building programs, and collaborative efforts with nonprofits and land management agencies, VOC is an invaluable resource in Colorado, especially as our outdoor stewardship needs are approaching near-crisis levels. For more information, visit www.voc.org or call 303-715-1010. Latitude/Longitude: 39.728611, -104.981194 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 10 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 7 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 7 Total Unique Volunteers: 7 Total Volunteer Hours: 21 Staff Hours: 5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: SWAT volunteers from Core Consultants met at Governor's Mansion to help Grow Local Colorado harvest produce for the fall 2022 growing season. The group harvested approximately 800 square feet of garden beds, resulting in 67 pounds of produce. Volunteers also put a new layer of compost and coffee grounds in 3 raised beds, turned compost over irrigation lines, and emptied a rain barrel onto one section of garden bed as the last watering for the season. Successes and Challenges: Successes: The Core Consultants group worked easily with one another and asked lots of questions about gardening that Linda from Grow Local was able to address in depth. We were able to finish the work up easily and on-time. Challenges: Volunteers had to submit background checks that had to be cleared several weeks prior to the project. This was time-consuming to collect, however, it was also necessary because the Governor was in residence on site on the day of the project. The gate allowing entrance into the garden from the street had to be opened by talking to Governor's Mansion staff each time we needed it open or closed via a call box, so this was a bit clunky, but nothing unmanagable. Lessons Learned: It is a good idea to give 2-4 weeks for background checks to be collected and cleared. It is also important to let volunteers know the parking on Pennsylvania Ave. is 2 hour parking only, so that they can move their vehicles if the project exceeds 2 hours/ Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: