Kristin Brennan of Gardening The Community to speak at Rotary Aug. 13

Date: 8/10/2009

SPRINGFIELD Kristin Brennan, former director of Gardening The Community, will address the Springfield Rotary Club's luncheon meeting on Aug. 13. Brennan currently fundraises and advises Gardening The Community and will discuss organic gardening, alternative transportation and building community in Springfield.

Gardening The Community, a project of the Northeast Organic Farming Association/ Massachusetts Chapter Inc., works with teenagers to reclaim vacant urban lots and transform them into productive vegetable gardens. They have five community gardens located throughout Springfield. The five garden sites are: 49 Lebanon St., 252 Hancock St., 488 Central St., 50 Ashley St., and Acorn Street (near the Girls Club).

Before moving to Springfield in 2003, Brennan worked for the Food Project in Boston, working with immigrant residents to remediate contaminated soil and cultivate urban gardens. She has also been a science teacher. She and her husband have three children and reside in the Upper Hill Neighborhood in Springfield. They have transformed their home and the land surrounding it into an urban farm. Their city homesteading lifestyle was covered by NPR, the Today Show, and the Springfield Republican several years ago.

The Springfield Rotary Club meets every Thursday (during the summer) at 12:15 p.m. in the Mass Mutual Room at the Basketball Hall of Fame, West Columbus Avenue, and is a proud member of Rotary International. The Rotary luncheon, with guest speaker Kristin Brennan, is $17 per person and is open to the public.

For more information on the Springfield Rotary or becoming a member, please contact Springfield Club Membership Chair Mike Healy at 267-1217 or visit www.springfieldmarotary.org.