The Desert Daubers garden club has found a unique way of giving some people hope, while giving a gift to the community. They have donated a seasonal wreath to the El Caldito soup kitchen in the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope. Throughout the year, members of the garden club will change the wreath to reflect the current season. "It cheered up a lot of people," Julia McClendon, of the Community of Hope says. "It's so wonderful because we didn't have anything." However, this large, almost industrial, building does have expanses of bare white walls. McClendon would be delighted to have artists or other crafts people help cover these walls with art and decorations.

The Desert Dauber's grapevine wreath currently is decorated with autumn leaves, pumpkins, and a colorful scarecrow. Ann Goode, a club member, decorated this first wreath. A holiday wreath in a winter motif of snowflakes also is planned. Nancy Garrett is in charge of decorating the holiday wreath. Nora Crisp and Evelyn Girodano will create the spring and summer wreaths, respectively.

"We're just as happy as can be," McClendon says. "It's not a big club, but it is a big gift."

Goode, inspired by the enthusiasm of Community of Hope board president Doug Rains, approached club members to find a way to help the organization. "It's a wonderful concept to help people help themselves," Goode says. "If something we learned in garden club gave someone hope," that would be rewarding, she said. However, Desert Daubers is a small garden club and many members are older and cannot work in the soup kitchen, so the club came up with the concept of the wreath.

The garden club members also are collecting items such as toothpaste, deoderant, soap, brushes, wash clothes, and other personal items for holiday gifts for the Community of Hope clients.

McClendon also is looking toward the holidays. "We would love to have some good trees and decorations," she says. "People feel better when they are part of the season. You just want to do something nice," she says wistfully. "There is no money in the budget for holiday decorations," McClendon notes. However, she hopes to brighten the holiday season for the clients by wrapping little gifts of soap and shampoo. At least clients will have a single present.

The Mesilla Valley Community of Hope is an umbrella organization of service agencies for the homeless. At this time, their building houses the El Caldito soup kitchen, St. Luke's Health Care Clinic, and the Hacienda del Sol housing program. As the site is developed, more agencies are scheduled to move to the site: Jardin de los Ninos (a day care for homeless children), Casa de Peregrinos (an emergency food pantry), Community Action Food Distribution Center (distributor of food commodities for seven counties), and Closet de Mesilla (a clothing bank providing work apparrel).

Since the opening of the Community of Hope in March, the kitchen as served 16,000 meals; the clinic as provided medical assistance for 1,304 individuals; the housing program has provided case management and housing for 225 participants; and the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope has provided outreach for 1,238 participants.

"I'm not artistic whatsoever," McClendon states. She can write grants and direct teams, but decorating is another matter. However, she understands the emotional value of the seasonal wreaths. "It cheers the place up," McClendon says.

Author signs new book:
Judith Phillips, author of several books on native plants and landscaping, will present a slide show about native plants and sign her newest book. The show begins at 2:30 p.m. today, followed by the book signing. She will be at Enchanted Gardens, 935 San Francisco St. (off of Stern Dr.). For more information, call 524-1886.

Her previous works include Plants for Natural Gardens, Southwestern Landscaping with Native Plants, and Natural by Design. Her new book as well as her previous books are available at Enchanted Gardens. She has spent 25 years in landscape design and growing native plants. She is an expert in creating low-maintenance landscape designs using native plants.

According to the cover notes on Southwestern Landscaping with Native Plants, "Phillips broadly defines "native" to include plants native to arid-land conditions and those adaptable to these conditions."

--Jackye S. Meinecke is a freelance writer and co-owner of Enchanted Gardens in Las Cruces.