Nipomo Elementary Schools Pre-Valentine's Day Taste L'Amour Fundraiser

This year's 2^nd Annual Taste l'Amour Wine Tasting & Gift Expo which was again hosted at Trilogy in Monarch Dunes offered everything last year's event did and more! Not only did everyone enjoy more wineries, more artists, more raffles to win and more one-of-a-kind gifts to buy, they also enjoyed the satisfaction of being part of the first organic gardening project for Nipomo’s grade schools. 

Inspired by the success of the event's premier in 2010 and encouraged by a deluge of compliments from both attendees and vendors, event organizers Jackie King with Barefoot Gardens and Ahly Mueller decided to step it up a notch this year and turn the free-admission event into a paid-admission fundraiser for their fledgling Nipomo Grade Schools Organic Garden Project.

So this year, with the invaluable help and support of Trilogy at Monarch Dunes, they decided to charge a $10 entry fee and raised over $2,100 through admissions and raffle ticket sales.” Event creator Jackie King says, ”Nipomo grade schools are the only ones in the county that don't have vegetable gardens for their students.” King, who is mother to her own Nipomo grade schooler, adds, “We want to help create grade school gardens for our community's kids to enjoy. They should have the same opportunities to have fun and learn about organic gardening as any other kids.”

This program aims to raise enough funds to fully finance the establishment of organic gardens at Dorthea Lange, Dana, and Nipomo Elementary Schools by the spring of 2013—that includes providing the materials, soil, and compost for raised beds as well as the first season's seeds and vegetable starts for the kids to plant. They will enlist the help of eager volunteers and the schools’ own 

parent-teacher organizations to help with the distribution of the funds.

The following is just a partial list of the local businesses that have made generous contributions to the schools by offering items and services for the event's raffles:

Jocko’s Steak House, Antonio’s Ristorante, Tanner Jack’s, Pi Whole Pizzeria, Me-N-Ed’s Pizza, Gibson Brothers BBQ, Laetitia Winery, Roblar Winery, Firestone Vineyards, Wood Winery, Per Bacco Cellars, Seasons Nails & Spa, Massage by Bill Morby of I’ve Got Your Back, Ruda Chiropractic, Gateway Picture Framing, Gerald’s Olde Thyme Chocolates, Ada’s Sweet Delights, The California Bee Co., La Bella Olives, Art of Flowers, Cloud 9 Design

Artists:

Sandra Johnson, Joe Tomei, Lorraine Cody, Glass Fusing by Ruby Glass, SLOCO Data and Printing, The Halcyon Store, Tierra Landscape Company, Lone Pine Nursery, Cherry Lane Nursery, Sweet Harvest Hydroponics and Organics, Barefoot Gardens Landscape Consulting and Design, GROW YOUR OWN Organic Garden Coaching for the Dirty Masses!

Thank's to all the support from everyone in this great community of ours!!
Erich Salas (Volunteer)