Page 7 - Martin Downs Bulletin - July '24
P. 7
Martin Downs, Page 7
nonprofit news
House Of Hope Opens “We made it a goal to find ways to improve the
Packing House In Palm City, nutritional status of the people we serve, and the
packing house is an important piece of our overall
Provides More Fresh Produce plan,” House of Hope CEO Rob Ranieri said. “By
cleaning and packaging fresh produce in our own
To Clients packing house, we are able to boost the nutritional
content of our clients’ diets and even help them to
A fully operational packing house, hydroponic develop a taste for fruits and vegetables.”
greenhouses, gardens and an orchard were open for House of Hope sees an additional role for
visitors at a ribbon-cutting event at House of Hope’s the packing house: to serve local farmers who
Growing Hope Farm in Palm City in early June. would find value in cleaning and packing their
The packing house has been a major project of the own produce near their farms and local markets.
nonprofit. It uses state-of-the-art equipment to clean “We see this as a service to our farmers and also House of Hope staff and volunteers joined members of the Palm City Chamber
and package fresh produce grown on the farm and other an additional way for House of Hope to earn of Commerce in cutting the ribbon on the new packing house at Growing Hope
produce that is gleaned or donated. That produce is then revenue to help support our many community Farm, where fresh produce is cleaned and packaged for House of Hope clients
distributed to House of Hope clients at its four client programs,” Ranieri said. and partner food pantries.
choice food pantries and is shared with community food The ribbon-cutting was held in partnership
pantry partners. with the Palm City Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Executive Director Missi Campbell praised House of Hope
for its vision in improving nutrition and being entrepreneurial
in its approach. “House of Hope realizes that sometimes
people just need a hand up and not a handout, and they are
there for those in need. Martin County is very fortunate to
have House of Hope in our community, empowering our
residents in need with housing, education, life skills and even
better ways of eating.”
Fresh produce from Growing Hope Farm is now being
sold to the public at the Palm City Farms Produce and
Market next to the farm on Citrus Boulevard in Palm
City and at the House of Hope Thrift Store on U.S. 1 in
Stuart. Ranieri reminded guests at the event that House of
Hope depends on volunteers for its successful operation.
“We’re always looking for people who would like to be
hands-on in helping us harvest, package and distribute
fresh food,” Ranieri said. “It’s a volunteer job with very
tangible rewards.”
For more information about House of Hope, its Growing
Hope Farm and volunteer activities, visit House of Hope’s
website at www.hohmartin.org or call (772) 286-4673.
Treasure Coast
Outdoors
The Stuart Sailfish Club
Announces Summer-Long
Fishing Tournament
By Jim Weix
The Stuart Sailfish
Club will be having
a Summ er Long
Tournament running July
4th through Labor Day.
They will be working
with two other fishing
clubs to provide weigh
stations in Fort Pierce
and Palm Beach, as well
as Sailfish Marina. This
collaboration is just the beginning of many relationships
they hope to foster with clubs all over the world.
If you would like to be involved contact Allison at
(772) 888-6337 or Director@StuartSailfishClub.com.
Anglers are having good sailfish and kingfish activity in
the 80-foot range. Live bait seems to be producing the most.
Tarpon are moving through the area. They are mainly
near shore, so both boat and beach anglers have a chance.
The closest that I ever came to a heart attack was
chasing an 80-pound tarpon, that I hooked, up and down
the beach. The fish attracted quite a crowd of admirers. As
they cheered me on, I felt that I needed to catch that fish.
I told the story to Henry, the former owner of the Snook
Nook, who has since passed. That is when he told me his
secret to catching tarpon from the beach if you are beyond
your prime.
He told me to use a ten-pound leader. That way you can
hook the fish, get a couple of jumps, and attract a number
of people cheering you on.
Then the leader breaks and you don’t look like an old
man clumsily chasing a fish up and down the beach.
Editor’s note: Jim Weix is an avid hunter, angler,
conservationist, as well as an outdoor writer. Jim is included
in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s Hall of Fame for
helping restore thousands of acres of wetlands. Jim is a broker
associate with The Keyes Company. He can be reached at
See answer in this paper. (772) 341-2941 or by email: jimweix@jimweix.com.
