I was surprised and flattered to receive this year’s City Market/Onion River Co-op Don Schramm Community Service Award. This is quite an honor – and one that should be shared with the whole Grow Team O.N.E. community.  THANK YOU to the rest of the Grow Team steering committee (Paul Schwartzkopf, Chris Howell, Rebecca Vickery, Sean Melinn, and others) whose time, energy, and great ideas improve the gardens and their offerings to the community; to UVM intern Liz Quinn, who created a workshop series and outreach activities that connected more people to the gardens; to UVM intern Holly Cameron, who created a beginning gardening handbook; to Jeri Helen, who kept the O.N.E. flexible and ready to start the weekend with her Saturday morning exercise sessions at the Archibald Garden; to Laurie at Dot’s Market for being a great neighbor and garden advocate; to Pete for being Archibald’s guardian angel; to the Visiting Nurse Association and Burlington Housing Authority for providing garden space; to Burlington Area Community Gardens, Friends of Burlington Gardens, and Intervale Compost Products for their continued support; to the funders, community organizations, friends, and neighbors who help Grow Team O.N.E. thrive; AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, to all the Archibald and Riverside gardeners who have embraced the gardens and their own roles in the food system. Together, we help make the Old North End a vibrant, welcoming place to live full of good food, healthy choices, and community!

- Jess Hyman