A gardening labor of love spreads hope to faraway lands

Southern Maine Garden Club met recently at the Springvale Library to hear a presentation from Patti Perkins of Acton. Perkins is a retired gifted-student teacher who worked in the Portland School System for many years. In 2013 when her daughter was about to be married, she had a special request for her Mom - would she grow the flowers for her wedding bouquet and centerpieces as well as some kale for her wedding reception salad.

These special requests launched Perkins into a search for the perfect seeds to grow all the various flowers in her daughter's country wedding bouquet and for the perfect kale to add to the salad. This was a personal quest that she vigorously tackled and in her presentation she had many photos to illustrate the progress and then the ultimate success of all of her hard work that resulted in a beautiful country wedding for her daughter and new son-in-law.

After the wedding, and the concrete success of her garden labors, she researched ways that she could grow and sell flowers as well as veggies and eggs that she harvested from her chickens. This resulted in a seasonal farmstand in Acton (late June-October) that sits at the end of her Terra Firma Farm road. In addition, she makes floral arrangements for a local restaurant as well as arrangements for other country weddings after her great success with her daughter's wedding.

But the story doesn't end here; her brother has been in ministry in India for over 30 years and was attached to Living Hope India - an organization with ties to the Word of Grace Church located in Westfield, MA. Living Hope enables community transformation through primary education, health care and vocational training. It began in Taldi, West Bengal, India, and it now has two additional community schools in West Bengal. Perkins showed images of the students in their classrooms, sharing lunchtimes and much needed nourishment as well as classes where their parents were trained in health care and useful skills.

Consequently, she began her organization "Bengal Blossoms" to help raise funds to provide education for children "one bouquet at a time". She sends the money she has collected from the sale of her flowers to the Word of Grace Church and they coordinate the donations with Living Hope India. If you would like to know more about Living Hope India, please contact them at their website - www.livinghopeindia.org.

SMGC meets throughout the year at the Springvale Library on the third Wednesday of every month beginning at 6:30 PM (unless otherwise noted). The public is invited to attend to sample our meetings to see if you would like to join us. The November meeting will be on Wednesday, November 16th, at 6:30 PM and for this meeting only it will take place at the Trafton Center, 19 Elm St., Sanford, ME; and the topic will be on Canning Christmas Pickles and the presenter will be Cindy Simon, Healthy Lifestyle Coach. FMI please contact in ME - Paula Frodyma at 207-475-8142or in NH - Donna Claveau at 603-332-4860.