Triumphs and Challenges: An Update

A generous donation of tinctures was
made to the Center, only a portion are photographed here.

It's been about three months since the Methow Herbal Health Center was created, so it seems like a good time to share some of the triumphs and challenges of the past months. 






Let's start with the best news... 


Triumphs
The Center has been in operation for three months and continues to see a growing number of people. Room One, the wonderful host of the Center, has generously offered an office space and has been tremendously helpful in referring people to the Center as well as offering helpful advice about getting the word out. 


Xavier and Rosalee de la Forȇt made a variety of herbal salves, creams, lotion bars, hand dyed scarves, lip balms and a raffle basket of goodies which was sold at two holiday gift bazaars in November and December. Ancestree Herbals donated a plethora of herbal infused oils which were made into salves. Also, LearningHerbs.com donated 6 Wildcraft! board games to the cause. All the items were sold and $383 was raised for the center. Thank you to the Methow Community for supporting the Center with your holiday purchases! 


The money raised has allowed for Rosalee to buy 2 oz dropper bottles, some glycerites and some specific herbs that people needed but were not in stock. 


In order to raise awareness of the Center Rosalee has done the following

• Posted flyers all around Twisp
• Gave a free hour-long presentation at the local Mothering Group
• Gave a quick introductory presentation at a community solstice gathering
• Brought informational materials to the local food bank, The Cove
• Sent multiple press releases and emails to the local paper (update - as of this week a small announcement was printed in the paper, alongside the obituaries. Not quite the article that was expected for such an innovative endeavor, perhaps better than nothing.) 

Just this week the Center received an incredibly generous donation of tinctures from Michael and Patricia deMarco. These tinctures zing with the vibrancy and will undoubtedly help many people in our valley. 


Challenges
By far the biggest challenge has been getting the word out. Despite numerous attempts at getting the announcement of the opening of the Center in our local paper, it has not happened yet. 


There are a couple more avenues that Rosalee will continue to pursue, such as radio announcements and the Grist (a digital news source). 


It has been suggested that the Center invest in advertising, however the couple hundred dollars that belongs to the Center is being reserved, for the time being, to buy herbs and other necessary supplies.  


What the future holds
In all, the Center is a success. People are coming to the office, we have a plenty of herbs on hand for the time being and a small sum in order to buy herbs not on hand. Several people and companies have been incredibly generous in donating to the Center which has helped to raise money and provide a wider range of herbs to the clientele. On the down side, the Center is still not operating to full capacity and there are open appointments each week. 


After the snows have melted and plants start springing from the earth, Rosalee will lead plant walks in the valley. The goal of these walks will be both to raise awareness about the Center and to bring in additional funds. These walks will be by donation and all money will go back to the Center. 


If you live in the valley and are able to help with spreading the word about the Center, please contact Rosalee with your ideas.