As winter approaches and the last days of autumn swirl past us, at times it can be hard not to feel a sense of sadness. The clock has been turned back and the days are getting shorter, so it probably seems like a good time to hibernate. But there is an alternative to help us get through the cold days—good old-fashioned community. On the second and fourth Mondays of the month a group of individuals fight against the urge to stay home in order to celebrate the friendship and unity within the community they have developed. The group’s name is GrOW, which stands for Greens of Williamsport, and this autumn members of GrOW have been busy with a variety of activities. Members have attended forums and hearings related to the Marcellus Gas issue to learn more information in an attempt to understand this complicated issue. During those events, members asked questions and expressed their concerns to political officials and gas company personnel.

In celebration of the autumn season, members of the group met to make applesauce. The apples were bought from local growers at the Williamsport Farmer’s Market and roadside stands. The apples were cooked in the individual members’ homes during the day and were then combined together to be processed in a vintage hand-powered press that had been acquired at a yard sale. One member had put too much water in her crock-pot, which resulted in a soup-like mixture. Another member had not put any water in her crock-pot, which resulted in a much drier substance. With Solomon-like wisdom, it was decided that the pots would be combined, with some of the harder apples cut into chunks and added into the creamy applesauce. The result was the most delicious all-natural applesauce any of us ever tasted. Each person brought a less-than-perfect contribution and, by combining them, created something that was delicious and satisfying as well.

In October the Sierra Club sponsored an Environmental Networking Banquet that focused on the issue of global warming and the climate crisis. The event was attended by eleven local groups, GrOW included, and the speaker was Andy Pitz from the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association. The groups had displays that provided educational materials and the members were able to share their thoughts, experience, and ideas.

Mike Ditchfield, Chef Instructor of the Culinary Arts Department of Penn College, spoke before the group on the Local Foods Movement. The Local Foods Movement developed in response to the increase in industrial farming and the decline in the number of small local farms. In addition to the impact on local economies and community created by the decrease in the number of small farms, the practice of mass-producing food and then shipping the products thousands of miles uses a large amount of fossil fuels and harms the environment in a multitude of ways. The most traditional method of being what is called a Locavore is to grow your food in a backyard garden like many of our grandparents did years ago. Another easy way to be involved in the Local Food Movement is to buy your food from local farmer’s markets, food co-ops, and roadside stands. Even grocery store chains have realized the importance of supporting local growers and are attempting to get on the local food bandwagon by buying locally produced foods, which are usually marked accordingly. Central Pennsylvania is fortunate to have a number of local farms that are classified as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) businesses in which members buy shares and are then able to have fresh produce delivered to them during the growing season.

A number of Community Gardens have been created in Williamsport and surrounding towns. Members of the gardens talk about how satisfied they feel about having the opportunity to grow their own produce, how good the food tastes that they have created with the help of nature, and also the sense of community they have with their fellow gardeners. There is also the opportunity to buy seeds through seed-saver groups. There are different degrees of participation in the movement; while some adhere to the guideline that their consumption of food must be limited to products that travel no more than 50-100 miles, the majority of followers try to make conscious choices in regard to their food purchases. Be warned: the participation in these activities can be addictive, and there may be no going back to mass-produced, cellophane-wrapped tomatoes.

A Local Foods event that includes a national speaker is in the process of being planned for the Spring. On All Saints Day members of GrOW met at the Pajama Factory and walked the surrounding neighborhoods to pick up the candy wrappers of the goblins and princesses that had wandered the sidewalks the previous night. Happily there were not a lot of wrappers gathered, but some other very interesting items were collected. It was a beautiful day after many days of rain, and the group enjoyed the activity so much that a discussion was had on how soon it could happen again. The group discussed the possibility of promoting a town-wide activity where the public is encouraged to clean up their own neighborhoods, with a follow-up event at the Pajama Factory. In addition to the satisfaction the members felt by making a difference in their community, the gratitude expressed by the residents of the neighborhood was truly rewarding.

GrOW is committed to being an active part of the community and would like to invite anyone who cares about their community to participate in their meetings and events. The meetings are at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at the Pajama Factory. You can contact GrOW by email at greensofwilliamsport@gmail.com or check out the group “Grow Williamsport” on Facebook.