Katie Stagliano is an 11-year-old Summerville resident with a big dream: that no one goes to bed hungry. She is making her dream a reality by starting vegetable gardens to grow healthy food to donate to people in need in our community. Katie’s dream started when she grew a 40 pound cabbage from a seedling that she received at school from the Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program. That one cabbage fed 275 people at a soup kitchen in North Charleston. She continues to start gardens and donate the harvest to soup kitchens.
On Thursday, July 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. Katie will be at Aura Lee’s, located at 140-C West Richardson Ave., in downtown Summerville. She is asking for help in restocking the shelves at Tri County Family Ministries by dropping off donations of canned vegetables, canned meat and peanut butter. Canned goods with pop-tops are preferred so homeless guests of Tri County are able to open them. Everyone who drops off a donation will be given a gift certificate for a percentage off their purchase at Aura Lee’s.
 On Saturday, July 17 Katie is asking for help by bringing vegetables from your home, friends and/or neighbors gardens to Children’s Orchards, located at 1580 Old Trolley Rd., to donate to Tri County Family Ministries and The Palmetto House. A few tomatoes, a zucchini, a pepper or two, any vegetable will greatly help people in our community who are struggling to eat. If you don’t have a garden you can still help. Donations of canned vegetables, pork and beans and peanut butter are welcomed. Katie will be at the store from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. but donations will be welcome all day long. In addition to other store promotions taking place that day, Children’s Orchard will provide shoppers that donate food with a 10 percent off coupon.
Katie’s efforts have been featured in People Magazine, Time Magazine for Kids, The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, National Public Radio, and Radio Disney. She is currently in the running for a grant to start two new vegetable gardens from the Farm Rich Kids Who Give Program and is asking for people to vote for her daily until July 20 at http://kidswhogive.com/katie_stagliano.php.
To learn more about Katie’s efforts visit www.KatiesKrops.com.