Sometimes in life, the stars align, and things work out exactly as they should. When I read the story of Kriste Misiak, the recent winner of the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Ultimate Garden Giveaway, my heart swelled and I had to sit back to smile.
Kriste, her husband and their five children are a Michigan farm family, doing what they can to produce enough homegrown food to feed themselves and give some away to help those in their community.
When Kriste, a long-time MOTHER reader, received word that she’d won the exciting — and extensive — batch of prizes (see below for the complete list), she said she was in shock. After the shock wore off a little, she wrote a letter to our publishing company to tell us more about her family and express her thanks. Her story is definitely worth sharing:
My husband and I live on 34 acres and have five children. We enjoy growing as much food as we can for our family, friends and local charities. Our farm is not certified organic, but we grow without chemical pesticides. (Yes, we hand pick all those bugs.) Therefore, I know our vegetables, chicken and beef are more nutritious.
I believe everyone should have access to these types of food. With the kids to help, we bagged one ton of potatoes to deliver to our local St. Vincent de Paul. Other vegetables and eggs we take to our local soup kitchen.
I hope to instill empathy in my children. Hard times can fall upon anyone. It is our duty to help all as much as we are able. Good things will also come to you in your time of need.
I feel winning the Garden Giveaway is God’s way of saying, “OK, let’s see what else you can do!”
A huge thank you to Ogden Publications. I’ve learned a lot of what I know from MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Also, a huge thank you to all those bearing gifts. None of these pleasures in my life would be possible without all of you!
Sincerely,
Kriste Misiak
We couldn’t be more thrilled to provide this generous family who cares so deeply about each other and their community with these prizes. Congratulations! It’s great to know that this garden giveaway will keep right on giving.
The Misiak family won the following:
Growers Supply Premium Solar Star Greenhouse (Approximate Retail Value $3,295.00)
Husqvarna Garden Tractor (Approximate Retail Value $2,599.99)
Mantis 4-Cycle Gas Tiller (Approximate Retail Value $349.00)
Mantis Compost-Twin (Approximate Retail Value $499.00)
$500 Gift Card from Lee Valley Tools
Set of 13 Rogue Hoes (Approximate Retail Value $373.85)
SonnyLight Indoor Growlight/LED Kitchen Garden (Approximate Retail Value $299.95)
The Garden Patch GrowBoxTM (Approximate Retail Value $329.50)
Ethel Gloves Garden Gloves (Approximate Retail Value $20.00)
Mr. Soaker Hose Complete System (Approximate Retail Value $258.89)
Johnny’s Selected Seeds $250 Gift Certificate (Approximate Retail Value $250.00)
Rosie’s Workwear Ensemble (Approximate Retail Value $373.30)
Set of nine Radius Tools (Approximate Retail Value $234.91)
Pretty cool, eh? Visit our Sweepstakes Page to enter to win one of our current giveaways, including a fully loaded chicken coop.