Growing Food and Kids

Last weekend, one of my favorite cities, Nashville, Tenn., experienced an unprecedented flood due to record rainfall and the rising of the Cumberland River, which flows through downtown Nashville. The famous Gaylord Opryland Hotel, known for its acres of indoor gardens, was filled with more than 10 feet of water and may be closed for up to six months. Hundreds of homes were flooded or destroyed; one family I know with two little boys lost their home and everything in it. Thousands of homeless people who live in downtown Nashville’s Tent City have been displaced with no belongings left. And as of this morning, at least one family was still searching for their missing son.

Today, rather than chatting about gardening, eating or playing outside with kids, I’m asking you to talk to your kids about how you might reach out and help some of the victims of the Nashville flood.

Nashville has always felt like a second home to me. My dad is from there and I grew up visiting family in Nashville regularly. I went to college there (at Lipscomb University) and have lots of great memories of living there for four years. Even though I left to go to grad school and move around to other cities, I’ve always visited a few times each year and some of my closest friends still live there. Thankfully, they’re all ok. But there are so many who need our help, and even though I now live two hours south of Nashville, there are lots of ways I can help.

Here are some tips from Nashville mom Callie Shackleford’s blog, Broccoli Cupcake, about how we can help the people of Nashville:

You can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to automatically donate $10, or learn more about the disaster and how you can help by visiting the Middle Tennessee Red Cross website. Please consider helping Nashville today! Thank you.

Photo Credit: The Tennessean