It doesn't grow on trees...

If money grew on trees, gardeners would be rolling in cash, right?

But, it doesn't. And we're not.

A few people have asked me how they can contribute to the garden fundraising effort. Here are a few ways you can help.

1. Write a check. Yes, you can make a financial contribution to the garden! Write a check to "Foothills Elementary School" with "garden" in the memo line and drop the check off at the school office or send it to the school (Foothills Elementary School, 825 Allegheny Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919) and your contribution will be put to work.

2. Buy a veggie/fruit/egg/bread/mushroom/flower share from Grant Family Farms CSA. More on that fundraiser here.

3. Contribute to the Foothills Walk-a-Thon when our students start knocking on doors in late April or early May.

We expect the garden to cost upwards of $25,000 ($11K for the plumbing and $7K for the fence are the two major expenses) but with in-kind contributions, that cost could be significantly reduced. So, if you run a fencing or plumbing company and could do work for free or at cost, we'd love to talk. If you have access to dirt or amendments, let us know. If you want to give something from our wishlist as a gift to the school, we'll accept.

As far as our current fundraising goes, we've raised just over $8,000 so far. $5K from D20, $1500 from the Foothills PTO, and about $1600 from Chipotle. The PTO has also generously offered us the proceeds from the annual Walk-a-Thon, which will take place this May and typically raises over $3,000.

We're making great progress, but if you'd like to help us get there faster, now you know how to help! And, if you would like a copy of the budget, I'd be happy to send you one. Just email Hillary at foothillsgarden@gmail.com.