Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
12 April 2018
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
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Reminder: Please sign the T-shirts
Two t-shirts are awaiting your signature in the main trailer. Please help us say good-bye to long-time gardeners Travis and John Lee with a memorable, wearable gift!
Upcoming Events
- April 12 from 5pm Social at Live Oak Brewery! Exchange gardening tips while sipping beer with your fellow community garden members.
- Saturday, April 14 East Austin Garden Fair
- Sunday, April 15 from 10-12. Workday. Focus will be on the community gardens and there will be an opportunity to earn TSBVI hours.
Micah 6 Needs help!
Question: What is the designated Micah 6 plot next to the greenhouses?
Answer: It is a partnership Sunshine Community Gardens has with Micah 6, a network of faith communities within The University of Texas campus area to meet the needs of the impoverished and homeless.
The vegetables grown in the Micah 6 plot, in addition to donations from individual gardener's plots, are delivered to the Micah 6 food pantry located at University Presbyterian Church every Saturday morning. We also do deliveries on Thursday afternoons when the garden is in peak production. Last year, SCG donated over 3,000 pounds of fresh, organic produce to the food pantry. Barry Smith, Micah 6 Food Pantry Director, said that in 2017, the food pantry distributed 487,754 pounds of food to 12,893 shoppers. Thanks to donors like Sunshine Community Gardens, over 78,000 pounds of food have been delivered at no cost to the food pantry.
Would you like to be involved in this important mission? We have wonderful volunteers who have helped over the years. However, people do leave SSG, and we are in need of someone who can harvest and make a delivery one Saturday a month. We would also welcome volunteers who can fill in especially during the summer months. Don't forget, Micah 6 hours count toward your SCG service hours requirements. Please contact Dana Kuykendall kuykenwil@gmail.com or Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com if interested.
Info: Tax HolidayApril 28 – 30, 2018
You can purchase certain emergency preparation supplies tax free during the 2018 Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items you can purchase, and you do not need to issue an exemption certificate to claim the exemption. This year's holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 28, and ends at midnight on Monday, April 30.
These emergency preparation supplies qualify for tax exemption if purchased for a sales price:
- Less than $3000
- Portable generators
- Less than $300
- Emergency ladders
- Hurricane shutters
- Less than $75
- Axes
- Batteries, single or multipack (AAA cell, AA cell, C cell, D cell, 6 volt or 9 volt)
- Can openers - nonelectric
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Coolers and ice chests for food storage - nonelectric
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kits
- Fuel containers
- Ground anchor systems and tie-down kits
- Hatchets
- Ice products - reusable and artificial
- Light sources - portable self-powered (including battery operated)
- Examples of items include: candles, flashlights and lanterns
- Mobile telephone batteries and mobile telephone chargers
- Radios - portable self-powered (including battery operated) - includes two-way and weather band radios
- Smoke detectors
- Tarps and other plastic sheeting
These supplies do not qualify for tax exemption:
- Batteries for automobiles, boats and other motorized vehicles
- Camping stoves
- Camping supplies
- Chainsaws
- Plywood
- Extension ladders
- Stepladders
- Tents
- Repair or replacement parts for emergency preparation supplies
- Services performed on, or related to, emergency preparation supplies
Additional Charges Affect Purchase Price
Delivery, shipping, handling and transportation charges are part of the sales price. If the emergency preparation supply being purchased is taxable, the delivery charge is also taxable. Consider these charges when determining whether an emergency preparation supply can be purchased tax free during the holiday.
For example, you purchase a rescue ladder for $299 with a $10 delivery charge, for a total sales price of $309. Because the total sales price of the ladder is more than $300, tax is due on the $309 sales price.
For more information, contact us at Tax Help, or call 1-800-252-5555. -- From Kathleen Cobb
Watering
Unattended watering is only for three hours under low pressure and during daylight hours. A recent flooding was discovered very early on a recent morning. Please turn water off at the faucet and not to rely on the nozzle; I found two soaked areas this morning myself without searching for them. Thank you. -- Randy Thompson
Weeder Content
Should you have any content to add to the Weeder, email your article or suggestion to Kristin Phillips. On normal weeks content should be received by end of day Wednesday.
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Gardens
Officers
- President - Nick Sweeney nick.sweeney@hotmail.com
- Vice President - Marilyn Landberg marilynlandberg@utexas.edu
- Secretary - Polly Porter pporter_scg@austin.rr.com
- Treasurer - Caroline Limaye scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Bill Cason wccason@gmail.com
- Director - Lori Dobbin loridobbin@gmail.com
- Director - Randy Thompson jartdaht@gmail.com
Email the board.
Zone Coordinators
- Zone 1, Jasmine Baker austinjasmine@gmail.com
- Zone 2, Wayne Kuenstler wckuenstler@gmail.com
- Zone 3, Ludmila Voskov lvoskov@austin.rr.com
- Zone 4, Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Zone 5, Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Zone 6, Charlotte Jernigan charlotte@cybermesa.com
- Zone 7, Maria and Philip Wiley m.stroeva@gmail.com, philip9wiley@gmail.com
- Zone 8, Shannon Posern sposern@hotmail.com
- Zone 9, Kerry Howell casonhowell@gmail.com
- Zone 10, Christopher Schroder
christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com &
Karl Arcuri karl.w.arcuri@gmail.com
Other Personnel
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Kristin Phillips phillips.102@gmail.com
- Plant Sale - Randy Thompson & Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- TSBVI Liaison & Volunteer Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- Plot Assignment - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Compost Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Education Committee - Shannon Posern shannonposern@gmail.com
- Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
- Water Leak Repairs - Steve Schulz sschulz784@aol.com
- Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter beaster1@austin.rr.com
- Kitchen Supplies - Anita Keese
anodekraft1@msn.com
(If supplies are needed for events, contact by email or at 512-773-2178) - Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jen@enjeneer.com
- Micah 6 - Dana Kuykendall kuykendall@austin.rr.com
- Micah 6 - Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
- Spanish language contact - Andriana Prioleau gabp8dec65@hotmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - Green Binder