<![CDATA[Nourish Wellness - NW Newsletters]]>

<![CDATA[Nourish Wellness - NW Newsletters]]>Tue, 26 May 2026 10:39:42 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter: Autumn 2025]]>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-autumn-2025 FLOURISH
Nourish Wellness Newsletter
Volume 1: Issue 10

Nourish Wellness was on a brief hiatus during 2025. However, some of our activities from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025 are shared below.

SEED DONATIONS

Merritt College's Basic Needs Center, (BNC), had a booth at the Merritt College's annual Juneteenth celebration in Siempre Verde Park. Susana Abdurahman, (Merritt's Basic Needs Center's Coordinator), and Andy, (BNC staff person), distributed nutritious vegetables and fruits to local community members. Nourish Wellness stopped by and donated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds packets to their booth.

Nourish Wellness' director, Nia Hill, and Merritt's Basic Needs Center coordinator, Susana Abdurahman

HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE

Last December, Nourish Wellness donated leafy greens to a local soup kitchen called GRIP, (Greater Richmond Interfaith Program).

After a near year long hiatus, Nourish Wellness has resumed donating produce. We recently donated bags of tree collards and kale to Mercy Retirement Center's
Mercy Brown Bag Program.

Harvesting tree collards for donation

Tree collards and perennial variegated kale

Elaine, Mercy Brown Bag's Operations Manager, accepts produce donation from Nourish Wellness

Mini-Farm Maintenance Support

In July, gardeners Jesus and Carlos string-trimmed half of Nourish Wellness' Mini-farm. Now there is finally more room to cultivate beds for spring planting!

Half of mini-farm engulfed in weeds

Before string trimming work

After string-trimming work

Just last month Carlos and Jesus mulched the mini-farm pathways. This gave our space a needed upgrade. :)

Jesus and Carlos mulching pathways

Fall Blooming Plants

This fall we have a number of plants in bloom, (mostly salvias). Our pineapple sage, Mexican Bush Sage, zinnias, Mexican marigold, lavenders, pomegranate, eucalyptus, and rosemary are all flowering. It's wonderful to see a nice pop of color during overcast, rainy, and dreary days.

Salvia leucantha - Mexican Bush Sage

Punica granatum 'Nana' - Dwarf Pomegranate

Lavandula x ginginsii 'Goodwin Creek Gray'

Mama Nia's Chicken Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS

* seasoned chicken (sliced and chopped)
* chicken broth 2- 32oz cartons
* rotini pasta

Root veggies
Cut root veggies medium dice.
* burdock root
* carrots
* potatoes
* onion

* garlic (minced)

Herbs & spices:
These herbs can be tied together with food grade string, or put in cheesecloth or a muslin bag. Use a few sprigs of the following herbs:

* fresh thyme
* fresh rosemary
* fresh culinary sage

* bay leaf (2 medium-sized leaves)

Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

Step 1:
After chopping ingredients, bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium to large-sized pot.

Step 2:
Add potatoes, burdock root, celery, onions, garlic, and carrots to the pot.
Turn the burner down to simmer, after twenty minutes has passed.

Step 3:
Cook the soup for another half hour, and then put in the seasoned chicken and bay leaves. Continue to stir the pot occasionally.

Tip:
Add a little bit of cornstarch if you need to thicken up the broth. Be sure to stir it until it dissolves. Cook the soup at least 15 minutes after adding cornstarch so that it won't affect the soup's flavor.

Step 4:
15-20 minutes before the soup is ready, add the sprigs/ bundle of herbs. (Remove these herbs before serving the soup.)

Step 5:
Cook the pasta separately, and then run cold water on the noodles after draining them. Once the soup is nearly ready, pour in the noodles. Stir them in, and let the soup cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Farm Visitors

Most of our visitors are wildlife, (including insects). Cooper’s hawks reside in our windbreak of eucalyptus trees, squirrels chase each other across tree limbs, and gophers aerate the soil (jk). Hummingbirds, lizards, tiger swallowtails, bees, cabbage moths, ladybugs, earwigs, spiders, ants, and other creatures frequent our plot as well.

Southern Alligator Lizard

Farm kitty giving homage to catnip. :)

Farm puppy

Volunteers Needed

* Weeding plants in containers, raised beds, and garden beds
* Cultivating more garden beds
* Planting seedlings and nursery stock

Please email info@nourish-wellness.org if you would like to volunteer.
Put "Volunteer Support" in the subject line.

Nourish Wellness has tote bags and t-shirts for sale.
Please go to our FUNDRAISING PAGE for more details.

Donations are appreciated. Any amount, small or large, can help Nourish Wellness continue to help others.

Funds will help pay for supplies, printing holiday meal brochures, and operating costs.

We're looking forward to 2026 when we will share more gardening, culinary, and food resources with individuals, families, and communities who need them.

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter: Summer 2024]]>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-summer-2024 FLOURISH
Nourish Wellness Newsletter
Volume 1: Issue 9

This newsletter showcases the work that Nourish Wellness and volunteers have been doing from Fall 2023- Spring 2024.
From cooking healthy meals to
cultivating garden beds, sowing seeds, transplanting vegetables, harvesting produce and donating it,
Nourish Wellness and our volunteers have been quite busy!

FALL 2023

~ HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE ~

Susana Abdurahman accepting our donated collard greens on behalf of Merritt S.O.U.L. (Merritt College's food bank).

Merritt College's Basic Needs Coordinator, Susana Abdurahman, helps connect students with housing, food, and health services. When we asked if Merritt S.O.U.L. could use a donation of leafy greens, she said that fresh produce would be helpful and appreciated.

We were able to oblige and delivered leafy greens twice in the fall.
On one of these delivery days, we received a helping hand from a few Girl Scouts. They helped us harvest and drop off leafy greens and potatoes to Merritt S.O.U.L..

Girl Scouts harvesting produce to donate to Merritt S.O.U.L.

~ CULTIVATING BEDS ~

Nourish Wellness volunteers cultivated a garden bed and mixed in aged manure. They also formed paths around the bed for easier access when planting and harvesting food.

NW volunteers, Katerina and Sabine, prepping a garden bed.

WINTER 2024

~ HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE ~

On a few occasions, we donated bags of tree collards, kale, and chard to Mercy Retirement Center's Mercy Brown Bag Program. Mercy Brown Bag provides supplemental food for seniors with lower incomes.

NW's director harvesting collards

Bags of our harvested leafy greens

David Bolaños, Mercy Brown Bag's Operations Manager, and a co-worker/volunteer receiving bags of Nourish Wellness' leafy greens.

SPRING 2024

NW volunteer Gina & 2 of her children

After helping their mother, Gina, volunteer and sow flower seeds, these young visitors learned about culinary herbs from Nia.

~ GROWING FOOD ~

In the fall, volunteers sowed Ethiopian kale seed indoors in our work studio. In the beginning of the year, they transplanted the seedlings into 2” pots.

In early spring, after installing gopher cages, volunteers transplanted the Ethiopian kale into a garden bed. (These cages prevent gophers from eating the plants for dinner). Afterwards, they fertilized the plant starts. The garden bed was later mulched with straw, (for weed suppression and moisture retention).

Volunteers, Katerina and Kristi, planting Ethiopian kale at NW mini-farm

Ethiopian kale seediings in a garden bed with straw mulch

~ HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE ~

In May, we harvested 9.5 bags of leafy greens to donate. We missed the drop off time for three of the programs we've donated to in the past. What to do, what to do.

We called around, but couldn't find a place that would receive produce at that time.
We then called 211, to find an organization that was willing to accept produce donations after 4p.m.. They referred CityTeam Oakland. After contacting CityTeam Oakland to inquire about their need(s), we headed over to their soup kitchen to give them kale, tree collards, and chard. The cooks thanked us, one of which said that the donation was right on time.

~ CULTIVATING BEDS ~

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm is still in a developmental stage. One of the tasks that we need the most help with is prepping garden beds. One of our volunteers recently cultivated and fertilized a garden bed. In a few weeks, we will put in gopher cages and plant more medicinal herbs.

NW volunteer Zashe' cultivating a garden bed

~ COOKING ~

Volunteer Katerina saw Nourish Wellness' sautéed chard recipe in our culinary blog.
She gave it a try, adding bright red tomatoes for color. She said it was delicious! :-)

Volunteer Katerina's chard & tomatoes dish

Volunteer support needed!

Volunteer Zashe' harvesting tree collards

Nourish Wellness needs assistance with:

* Weeding and cultivating garden beds
* Planting more greens
* Harvesting greens & veggies for donation
* Sheet mulching
* String trimming (weed whacking)

Please email info@nourish-wellness.org if you would like to volunteer.
Put "Volunteer Support" in the subject line.

Nourish Wellness has tote bags and t-shirts for sale.
Please go to our FUNDRAISING PAGE for more details.

Donations are appreciated. Any amount, small or large, can help Nourish Wellness continue to help others.

Funds will help pay for supplies, printing holiday meal brochures, and operating costs.

Nourish Wellness is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter: Autumn 2023]]>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-autumn-2023 FLOURISH
Nourish Wellness Newsletter
Volume 1: Issue 8

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm
Spring 2023

Nourish Wellness periodically donates leafy greens to Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, (GRIP). GRIP's chef, Chantel Toliver transforms our tree collards and kale into delicious, nutritious food for the program's clients.

Bagged leafy greens ready for donation (March 2023)

Dinosaur kale

Tree collards and kale

Basket of mustard greens

Bagged leafy greens ready for donation (April 2023)

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm Volunteers
Summer 2023

Nailah, Ajani, Marley, Andwele, and Thandi harvesting baby potatoes (Summer 2023)

Merritt College Landscape Horticulture LH208B herb students, Kristi and Katerina, building an herb spiral on the mini-farm. (Summer 2023)

Culinary herb spiral

Produce and canned goods available for students and staff at Merritt S.O.U.L.'s food pantry.

Merritt College's Basic Needs Coordinator, Susana Abdurahman (on the right), receiving leafy greens donation from Nourish Wellness' director, Nia Hill. (September 2023.)

Volunteer support needed!
Nourish Wellness needs assistance with:

* Seed sowing
* Saving seeds
* Weeding garden beds
* Cultivating garden beds
* Planting more greens
* Harvesting greens & veggies for donation
* Sheet mulching

Please email info@nourish-wellness.org if you would like to volunteer.
Put "Volunteer Support" in the subject line.

We'd like to give a special THANK YOU to:

* TYEHIMBA PEYTON *

THANK YOU Brother Tyehimba Peyton for your donation of gopher cages.
We appreciate your monetary donation as well. Your contribution helped us pay for garden maintenance on our mini-farm.

* THIBAULT MONNIER *

THANK YOU Thibault Monnier for your professional string trimming and major tree pruning services. Not only do we have more room on the mini-farm to plant food to donate, we have eucalyptus branches to create terraces for our garden beds.

Nourish Wellness has tote bags and t-shirts for sale.
Please go to our FUNDRAISING PAGE for more details.

Nourish Wellness is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Please donate to support our cause.

Donated funds are used to purchase supplies, fundraising items,
and cover operating costs.

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter: Winter 2023]]>Fri, 24 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-winter-2023 Flourish Nourish Wellness Newsletter Volume 1: Issue 7

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm Update

Nourish Wellness' mini-farm is finally bearing greens! :)
So far, we're growing cool season veggies like mustard greens,
dinosaur kale, chard, and tree collards.

Southern Giant Curled Mustard

Dinosaur kale and tree collards

Tree collards

Nia and Nai Nai harvesting leafy greens to donate.

Nai Nai donating dinosaur kale, tree collards, mustard greens, and chard to Greater Richmond Interfaith Program's soup kitchen. Chantel Toliver, GRIP's Resources/Kitchen Manager, plans on using these greens to whip up delicious soups and sautée greens for GRIP'S dinner guests.

If you would like to donate food, clothing, or personal hygiene products to the
Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, please visit their GRIP Cares website
for more information.

We'd like to give a special THANK YOU to:

Botanical Interests, Johnny's Selected Seeds, and Sow Right Seeds for the wonderful seed donations.
We look forward to sowing seed, growing food, and feeding others with your wonderful gifts.

Botanical Interests

Johnny's Selected Seeds

Sow Right Seeds

THANK YOU Rivkah Beth Medow for your gracious monetary donation last fall.
Your contribution helped us purchase soil for our container plants.

Culinary herb container

Volunteer support needed!

Nourish Wellness needs assistance with:

* Weeding garden beds
* Planting more greens
* Harvesting greens & veggies for donation
* Sheet mulching

Please email info@nourish-wellness.org if you would like to volunteer.
Please put "Volunteer Support" in the subject line.

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter~ Autumn 2019]]>Tue, 24 Sep 2019 11:35:49 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-autumn-2019

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter~ Winter 2018]]>Sun, 23 Dec 2018 03:09:07 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-winter-2018

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter~ Autumn 2018]]>Tue, 25 Sep 2018 07:03:52 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-autumn-2018

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter~ Spring 2018]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2018 08:25:51 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-spring-2018

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter~ Spring 2017]]>Sat, 25 Mar 2017 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/flourish-newsletter-2017

]]><![CDATA[Flourish Newsletter~ Fall 2016]]>Sat, 24 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.nourish-wellness.org/nw-newsletters/nw-fall-2017-newsletter

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Nourish Wellness was on a brief hiatus during 2025. However, some of our activities from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025 are shared below.

SEED DONATIONS

HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE

Mini-Farm Maintenance Support

Fall Blooming Plants

Mama Nia's Chicken Soup Recipe

Farm Visitors

Volunteers Needed

Nourish Wellness has tote bags and t-shirts for sale.​Please go to our FUNDRAISING PAGE for more details.​

​Donations are appreciated. Any amount, small or large, can help Nourish Wellness continue to help others. ​ ​​Funds will help pay for supplies, printing holiday meal brochures, and operating costs.​

We're looking forward to 2026 when we will share more gardening, culinary, and food resources with individuals, families, and communities who need them.

FALL 2023

~ HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE ~

~ CULTIVATING BEDS ~

WINTER 2024

~ HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE ~

SPRING 2024

~ GROWING FOOD ~

~ HARVESTING & DONATING PRODUCE ~

~ CULTIVATING BEDS ~

~ COOKING ~

Volunteer support needed! ​

​Nourish Wellness needs assistance with:​​* Weeding and cultivating garden beds* Planting more greens* Harvesting greens & veggies for donation* Sheet mulching​* String trimming (weed whacking)

Nourish Wellness has tote bags and t-shirts for sale.​Please go to our FUNDRAISING PAGE for more details.

Donations are appreciated. Any amount, small or large, can help Nourish Wellness continue to help others. ​ ​​Funds will help pay for supplies, printing holiday meal brochures, and operating costs.

Nourish Wellness Mini-FarmSpring 2023

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm VolunteersSummer 2023

​We'd like to give a special THANK YOU to:

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm Update

We'd like to give a special THANK YOU to:

Volunteer support needed!

Nourish Wellness has tote bags and t-shirts for sale.
Please go to our FUNDRAISING PAGE for more details.

Donations are appreciated. Any amount, small or large, can help Nourish Wellness continue to help others.

Funds will help pay for supplies, printing holiday meal brochures, and operating costs.

Volunteer support needed!

Nourish Wellness needs assistance with:

* Weeding and cultivating garden beds
* Planting more greens
* Harvesting greens & veggies for donation
* Sheet mulching
* String trimming (weed whacking)

Nourish Wellness has tote bags and t-shirts for sale.
Please go to our FUNDRAISING PAGE for more details.

Donations are appreciated. Any amount, small or large, can help Nourish Wellness continue to help others.

Funds will help pay for supplies, printing holiday meal brochures, and operating costs.

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm
Spring 2023

Nourish Wellness Mini-Farm Volunteers
Summer 2023

We'd like to give a special THANK YOU to: