凯蒂·斯塔利亚诺：小卷心菜里种出大慈善

Craig+Idlebrook

It all started with a cabbage seedling—a science project sent home with eager third-graders in Summerville， South Carolina. Inevitably， some of the seedlings didn't make it into the ground. Others were planted and forgotten； a few were cared for and thrived. Still one girl， then-9-year-old Katie Stagliano， made an impact with her seedling that has since affected a great number of people.

With her brother's help， Katie planted the seedling in her family's backyard. She fertilized1） and watered it， as well as installed a chicken-wire2） perimeter fence3） to keep the deer out. It grew huge， weighing in at roughly 40 pounds.

"When she brought in that cabbage， it changed all our lives，" says Stacy Stagliano， Katie's mother.

What does one do with a 40-pound cabbage？ Katie remembered how her father told her at the dinner table to never take more than she could eat， so she asked her mother if she could donate the cabbage to feed the hungry. Stacy found a local soup kitchen4） that could take it. The organizer asked Katie to deliver it and later help serve the food made from it. Katie got to see the impact of growing the cabbage， and many guests at the soup kitchen thanked her for her efforts.

That day， a light bulb switched on5） in Katie's head. If one cabbage could feed so many， she thought， what about a community garden？ What about several gardens？ Katie dedicated herself to growing fresh food for the hungry. It seemed a perfect way to make a difference and help the homeless.

Katie and her family started an organization called Katie's Krops and created six community gardens. The gardens vary in size， from her backyard garden to a school garden the size of a football field to hundreds of blueberry plants and two greenhouses at a local farm. Both Katie and her mother cannot believe that the project has grown so big； it was never their intention.

"It's just grown and grown and grown，" Stacy says. "One door opens and you see the possibilities."

From the sound of it6）， Katie always had the determination to create an altruistic7） gardening organization， even if she didn't start with a deep gardening background. Her parents had often listened when Katie expressed a desire to learn. When she wanted to know more about drought8）， she and her mother travelled to a nearby lake that had dried up. After the trip， Katie worked with her school to boost water conservation.

Still， like all gardeners， Katie had to make her own share of mistakes. For example， she tried to establish a community garden plot9） on a hill where there were fire ants10）. The plot had to be abandoned when the ants spread through the cabbage. She also has given up trying to grow broccoli11） and cauliflower12）， crops that were always stunted13） in her garden， in favor of plants that have brought a higher yield and have been easier to grow， such as eggplant.

"It's just small things like that，" she says， "learning from those mistakes." But the organization's reach14） would have been limited were it not for Katie's ability to wrangle15） others to help or donate， including her parents， a master gardener and many complete strangers.

People who know Katie say she is as comfortable talking to a room filled with hundreds of people as she is talking to a crowd of two. Even though she admits to not putting enough time into fundraising， Katie says her project has been blessed with the resources to move forward.

Bob Baker is a local farmer who didn't know what he was getting into when he agreed to help Katie. He first met her at a public event after hearing about Katie's Krops in the local media. She asked for his help， and Baker， who is inclined to altruistic acts， couldn't refuse. He soon found himself teaching her how to ride a tractor and donating space at his farm for her crops.

"Anytime you see a kid trying to do something， you've got to help out，" Baker says.

He's not alone. Katie's former science teacher， Cory Fuller， quit her full-time teaching job to become a part-time garden education director for Katie's Krops. Fuller says she loves how engaged children get when they work on planting a garden for the hungry.

Baker and others who know Katie say she has the uncanny16） ability to not be intimidated by the possibility of failure. Whenever she is faced with an argument against doing more， she simply counters17）， "Why not？" Fate takes care of the rest.

"She took a step and somebody helped her out，" Baker says. "She took another step and another step， and now the ground she's covering is getting bigger and beyond her state."

Katie's Krops has also awarded grants18） to similar gardening proposals in other states. A Katie's Krops blog is filled with articles of children using the grant money to start gardens to feed those in need. Katie's life differs more than slightly from the norm19） of a 13-year-old girl. She must balance travel， volunteer work at the local soup kitchen and gardening with a social life. But she's a normal girl who admits to wanting to find time to hang out with her friends on the weekends. What sets her apart is her commitment to grow food for those less fortunate.

She doesn't see herself tiring from the work， and she looks forward to when she can drive so she can spend more time in her six gardens.

"I'm having such a fun time，" she says. "I don't think I would give it up for anything."

所有的一切都始于一株卷心菜苗——这是南卡罗来纳州萨默维尔市热心的三年级学生带回家的科学作业。不出所料，有些菜苗根本就没有被种下；有些在种下之后又被遗忘；只有那么几株菜苗得到了照料，并茁壮成长。还有一个女孩——当时九岁的凯蒂·斯塔利亚诺——用她的菜苗有所作为，并在此后影响了许多人。

在哥哥的帮助下，凯蒂把菜苗种在了自家的后院里。她给菜苗施肥、浇水，还用铁丝网围了一圈栅栏，以防有鹿闯入。那颗卷心菜长得巨大无比，大概有40磅（译注：约18公斤）那么重。

“自从她把那颗卷心菜带回家，我们的生活就整个都变了样儿。”凯蒂的妈妈斯泰茜·斯塔利亚诺说道。

一颗40磅的卷心菜叫人如何是好呢？凯蒂记得爸爸在饭桌上告诉过自己，吃不了就千万不要盛太多，所以她就问妈妈可不可以把卷心菜赠送给那些挨饿的人吃。斯泰茜在当地找到一个可以接收那颗卷心菜的施济所。组织者让凯蒂把卷心菜交给他们，后来还让她帮忙上菜，这些菜都是用那颗卷心菜做的。凯蒂得以了解到种植卷心菜所发挥的作用，而且很多在施济所用餐的人们都对她付出的努力表示了感谢。

那一天，一只灯泡在凯蒂的头脑中亮了起来。她心想，如果一颗卷心菜就可供那么多人吃，那么一个社区菜园将可供多少人吃呢？如果是好几个社区菜园呢？凯蒂开始专注于为那些挨饿的人种植新鲜食物。这似乎是一个绝妙的办法，既能有所作为，又帮助了那些无家可归的人。

凯蒂和她的家人一起创立了名为“凯蒂的作物”的组织，并建立了六个社区菜园。这些菜园有大有小，从她家后院的菜园，到一个有足球场那么大的学校菜园，再到一家当地农场的上百颗蓝莓树和那里的两间大棚。凯蒂和她的妈妈都不敢相信这个项目竟然发展得如此壮大，她们原本并无此意。

“它就这么不断地发展、发展再发展，”斯泰茜说，“一扇门就此打开，让你看到了各种机遇。”

尽管凯蒂一开始并没有深厚的园艺背景，不过看起来，她一直都决心要创立一个造福他人的园艺组织。当凯蒂表示出想要学习什么的愿望时，她的父母总是认真地聆听她的想法。当她希望了解更多关于旱灾的知识时，她便和妈妈去参观了附近一个已经干涸的湖泊。在那次行程之后，凯蒂就与自己的学校一起着手促进水资源的保护。

不过，和所有园丁一样，凯蒂也必须经历自己犯错这一关。比如，她尝试在一座有火蚁的山上建立一块社区菜园用地，但火蚁爬满了卷心菜，她不得不放弃这块地。她还放弃了种植花椰菜和花菜这两种在她的菜园里总是长得不太好的农作物，转而种植已经带来更高产量且更容易成活的作物，比如茄子。

“都是这一类琐碎的事情，”她说，“从这些错误中吸取教训。”不过，要不是凯蒂发挥自己的才能费尽口舌地争取别人——这其中包括她的父母、一位园艺专家以及很多素不相识的人——的帮助及捐赠，“凯蒂的作物”的影响范围可能就会非常有限了。

认识凯蒂的人都说，不管是面对两个人，还是面对一屋子里坐着的上百号人，她都能谈笑自如。尽管凯蒂坦言自己没有花足够多的时间去筹集资金，但她表示自己的项目有幸获得了继续推进所需的资源。

鲍勃·贝克是当地的一位农民，当他同意帮助凯蒂时，他并不知道自己参与的是什么项目。他第一次和凯蒂见面是在一次公开活动上，此前他曾在当地的媒体上听说过“凯蒂的作物”。凯蒂向贝克寻求帮助，而他本就乐善好施，因而便无法拒绝。很快，贝克就不知不觉地发现他在教凯蒂如何开拖拉机，还从自己的农场腾出了空地让她种菜。

“无论何时看到一个孩子在努力做某件事情，你都应该帮一把。”贝克说。

帮忙的不止贝克一人。凯蒂以前的科学老师科里·富勒辞掉了她的专职教书工作，成为“凯蒂的作物”菜园的兼职栽培指导师。富勒说，她喜欢孩子们为挨饿的人开辟菜园种菜时那种投入的样子。

贝克和其他了解凯蒂的人都说她有一种不同寻常的能力——即使有失败的可能，她也无所畏惧。每当有人对做出更多的努力表示反对时，她会简单地反驳道：“为什么不继续做下去呢？”老天自会安排好剩下的一切。

“她迈出一步，就会有人来帮助她，”贝克说，“她向前又迈出一步，接着再迈出一步，现在她的‘凯蒂的作物覆盖的范围正变得越来越大，已经超出了她所在的南卡罗来纳州。”

“凯蒂的作物”还一直在为其他州类似的菜园方案发放补助金。该组织的博客上全都是关于孩子们用补助金建起菜园从而为有需要的人提供食物的文章。凯蒂的生活与13岁女孩（编注：本文写于2012年11月）的正常生活有着很大的不同。她必须在旅行、当地施济所的志愿工作、蔬菜种植以及社交生活之间寻求平衡。不过，她又是一个普通的女孩，她承认自己也想抽出时间在周末和朋友一起出去玩儿。她之所以与众不同，就是因为她致力于为那些不太幸运的人种植粮食。

她不仅不觉得自己对所做的工作感到厌烦，还非常期待自己能够开车的那一天，因为那时她就能在她的六个菜园里待得更久了。

“我现在过得特别开心，”她说，“我觉得我不会为了任何事情放弃我的菜园。”