(Photo by Sue Silverstein)When we were at Bishop Maginn High School the other day, Sue Silverstein, a teacher there and a great champion of her refugee students, told us about the vegetable garden for the homeless that she and the students there were planting.

She told us the story of the garden.

There’s a homeless shelter close to the school, and some grocery chains were dropping off unsold vegetables.

The students, who bring food and clothes to the shelter residents,  saw that many of the vegetables were spoiled, so they suggested to Mrs. Silverstein that they dig a garden on a slope behind the school and plant fresh vegetables for the people in the shelter.

Sue loved the idea and all summer, she and the students plan to care for the garden and deliver fresh vegetables to the homeless people down the road. She had some of the garden planted (I know she buys seeds and bulbs with her own money).

This morning I asked her if she needed any more plants for the garden, she said they were desperate for some fresh vegetables.

Sue has Catholic/Jewish guilt, so I knew she wouldn’t ask me for anything.

I got on the phone and called several plant places unsuccessfully, and then lucked out, I found the Honest Weight Co-op, a popular, ethical, natural food and plant store right in Albany.

I’m good on the phone and I got hold of Carol in the food plant. She was skeptical at first, sensing I knew nothing about planting vegetables and didn’t know what to ask for, and I think she also thought I was wanting the plants free, as a charitable contribution.

“Carol,” I said “these are refugee children planting a garden for homeless people. We know nothing.” And, I said, I wanted to pay for them. I do believe in that.

I assured her we would take care of the plants.

At first, she wanted to shunt me off to the Community Outreach Department, but I knew I had to stay where I was. I told her I’d call her back.

I called Sue and got some specifics – what the soil was like, the light, who would water the garden (it was a little bit like talking to dog rescue people) – and called Carol back. I knew she wanted to make sure the vegetables had a good home.

We had a 40 by 8 ft. section of garden to fill.

Carol got on board and was great, she put together eight different trays and threw in some others. She charged me $75, and I paid with a credit card over the phone.  Sue is picking up the plants this afternoon. “Amazing,” she said. I think we will be doing business with Carol again.

I know the plants were worth a lot more than $75, and I thank Carol and Honest Weight for their generosity.

Every afternoon throughout the summer, Sue and some of the students will come to Bishop Maginn, pick and clean the vegetables and bring them personally over to the shelter. I am impressed. The students are learning one of the best things about the Christian faith, and most other global religions, and one of the most forgotten: giving of yourself to help the needy and the vulnerable.

Sue said her remaining problem is to keep the local urban wildlife from eating the corn she is planting. If anybody has any ideas, please e-mail her at [email protected].

I was going to ask for help from the Army Of Good, but I don’t think this is better – and cheaper – than shipping  live plants across the country. They have enough now,I think. I’m waiting to hear if Sue’s garden brigade needs any gardening tools, but I think I’ve got it covered.