Community Success Stories
Elk City
You
can’t beat the flavor of a fresh tomato or sweet corn straight
from the field. These are just a couple of the items you’ll find
at the Elk City Farmer’s Market. The Farmer’s Market is one
of the projects started by the Elk City PRIDE program.
Each Saturday during the months of June, July and August, eight to ten
local venders are able to set-up booths at the city park. Residents of
the community come to purchase the fresh fruits and vegetables and
enjoy them at peak quality. The benefits of the market go far beyond
the great flavor of the food.
For the venders, there are also personal, social and economic benefits.
As they grow and harvest the produce, they are physically active and
working at something they enjoy. As they sell their products, they
become connected with community members. They also receive the benefit
of income which is turned over in the community an average (estimated
by some economists) of seven times!
For the buyer, the farmers market provides a flavorful nutritious
product, which promotes a healthy diet.
Another summer project Elk City PRIDE participates in is called the
“Yard of the Month”. Elk City likes to call it the
“Spirit of PRIDE Yards.” Three yards are selected on a
monthly basis for cleanliness, color, and yard improvement. Winners
display yard signs to be proud of! The program helps to keep yards
looking attractive and recognizes those for a job well done.
A more recent project
in Elk City is their Recycling Center. For the last year and a half
they have opened the doors of a recycling center once a month. They
work with several community volunteers to staff the center and
transport the recyclables to a distribution center. The center takes
paper, cardboard, plastics, cans, glass and magazines. Notably,
aluminum is left off the list. The aluminum is collected by the Rural
Fire Department to raise a few dollars for their needs. The recycling
center is strictly a community service project as it raises no funds.
The time, labor, and transportation are all donated services.
Related to recycling, another successful project has been a
“Trades Day” or “Swap Meet”; it is similar to a
community garage sale, but much more fun! Participants may buy, swap or
trade merchandise. A community map with the locations of all the swap
sites is distributed by the PRIDE group at the start of the day.
Coordination of these activities
takes lots of work. To communicate with each other, Elk City PRIDE
started a PRIDE newsletter in 1996. It is a monthly 10 page paper that
reports on the Elk City news and accomplishments of their citizens and
families. It is a project that holds the group together. PRIDE pays for
the postage and printing, and the gathering of news, news writing and
assembly of the paper is all volunteer. The newsletter is distributed
to 480 individuals and families. About 60 of the newsletters go to our
of town addresses in several different state to people who have moved
and want to keep in touch.
A new method of communication Elk City is exploring is Facebook. The
account has been active for about six months. It’s a great way
for people to quickly make contact, offer a suggestion, or brag about
their accomplishments.
The annual community recognition Banquet tops off the year for Elk City
PRIDE. PRIDE honors community groups for their services. By selecting a
group, it recognizes the teamwork that takes place rather than just the
work of one. Some of the groups recognized include teachers, senior
citizens, EMS, churches, and the volunteer fire department. Through
organizing with PRIDE, citizens in Elk City are investing in themselves
and one-another by coordinating important and meaningful events!
To learn more about Elk City, CLICK HERE
to view their community Website!
Return to PRIDE SUCCESS STORIES