Hope Community

⚓ **Speaker Spotlight: Chief Jason Lewis** ⚓

Join us Tuesday, August 25th, at 5:30 p.m. for an uplifting presentation by Chief Petty Officer Jason Lewis. After his presentation, Chief Lewis will give us questions to spark in-depth round table discussions.

An Africatown native and Clotilda descendant, Chief Lewis spent twenty four years in the U.S. Navy before returning home to focus on community restoration. Through his non-profit organization, VETS (Visualize Everyone That Serves), he brings his military leadership to local initiatives, uniting community volunteers for neighborhood cleanups, historic preservation, and youth gardening projects, including the Africatown Memorial Gardens.

Come learn how he has helped build stronger communities through his creative and collaborative spirit.

📍When: Tuesday, August 25, 2026 | 5:30 p.m.
Where: Fairhope United Methodist Church Life Center
Location: 155 South Section Street, Fairhope, AL

Learn more:

• Chief Lewis's passion for youth volunteerism: https://youtu.be/5oCeyuYN8CY?si=KYH50_5rH1H7TMwd

• Visualize Everyone That Serves (VETS): https://visualizeeveryonethetserves.com/

• "Rewilding the Classroom": https://stemmingthetide.weebly.com/blog/rewilding-the-classroom-with-al-yass

The Compost Hub is buzzing with activity this summer! In the last few weeks, we installed some pallet fencing, started two new windrows, and put up some signage. You will see a sign that says FEED HERE in the windrow that is accepting food scraps and dry materials. The other windrow has a sign that says DON'T FEED - I'm Cookin'. That row has scraps that were added earlier this year and have already broken down into rich compost for Hope Community gardens.

Plans for public food scrap donations are in the works! Stay tuned for more info on how you can donate your food scraps to the Compost Hub!

In June, we also set up the Can o' Worms with a handful of worms that will soon grow to over 1,000 composting worms eating 5 pounds of food scraps each week. Worms are picky eaters, so we are requesting that no one feed the worms at this time. Once the worms have gotten used to their new home, we will welcome everyone to come have a look and bring some treats for them. Worm castings contain nutrients custom made for plants and will make an excellent addition to Hope Community garden beds!

Compost Hub jobs for July & August:
- Transporting 20-30 more pallets from the City of Fairhope to Hope Community campus
- Cardboard (large boxes preferred) to use as w**d screen
- Help finishing the pallet fence and continued dismantling of the large pile of debris currently in the middle of the Compost Hub

Next workdays:
Friday, July 10 from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Friday, August 14 from 3-4:00 p.m.

Please reach out to us or DM Sarah Marston Bogdanovich if you want to help! Fairhope Compost Project

Whether you are a new friend or a long-time supporter, thank you for being a part of this next chapter at our historic property! Great things are happening—from building improvements that honor the legacy of Anna T. Jeanes to expanding our gardens. 🌱 💚

We enjoyed hosting the Gulf Shores Girl Scouts (ages 5-10) this past Sunday at our vegetable garden. Our Farming and Operations Manager, Lindsay Lefever, guided them through hands-on planting activities. Watching their curiosity come to life was the highlight of the day. We love partnering with local youth groups to share the joy of growing fresh food!

As Hope Community continues to flourish, we're creating more opportunities for volunteers of all ages to get involved in meaningful ways. In addition to our regular group workdays, Lindsay invites you to join us on flexible projects that match your interests, talents, and schedules.

We have several volunteer opportunities over the next few weeks. We would love to have your help:

• Pre-assembling our greenhouse frame, refurbishing an awning, treating raised bed wood, and hanging bird and bat houses 🐦 🦇

🎨 Decorating our new mailbox post, tending the pollinator garden 🦋, and planting heat-tolerant crops

🪵 Gathering fallen tree debris from our live-oak forest 🌳 to build a Hügelkultur bed base

If you would like to help with any of these projects, please reach out to Lindsay directly at [email protected] or send us a message at [email protected] to coordinate. You can also join our volunteer team at the link below.

Cheers to nurturing unity through food, healing, and education—we can't wait to work with you!

SIGN UP AS A VOLUNTEER: https://hopecommunityal.org/volunteer/