Gene Moore

He was a baseball prodigy. At the age of fifteen, Gene Moore was a boy, playing like a man, in a game where men, play like boys.

Headed for baseball stardom with the Brooklyn Dodgers, his destiny was interrupted by
Pearl Harbor.
His life... and
maybe our
national
pastime...
would be
forever altered.

Click here to Sign up for the free Playing with the Enemy Newsletter!

All newsletter members are entered into a drawing for a free first edition signed copy!

Dear Friends,

We have exchanged Emails over the last few weeks regarding the state of the economy and the nation. It has nothing to do with this website and Playing with the Enemy but I felt compelled, like many of you, to reach out in the midst of the uncertainty and encourage everyone to remain calm as the dust settles. Fortunately, I was right. Things are never as bad as they seem at the moment.

I have a garden. I love the time I spend planting, hoeing, weeding and watering. For me, there is something therapeutic about being outside; planting a seed and watching it grow. Arlene and I began 10 years ago with a single tomato and green pepper plant. Last year we had 32 tomato plants, 8 varieties of peppers, 3 varieties of melons, green beans, peas and cucumbers. Unfortunately because of our busy travel schedule some of it went to waste.

I was working alone in the garden late in August. It was a wonderful time to spend alone, get my hands dirty and pray. While in prayer an idea hit me like a ton of bricks. The next day, we packed up a carload full of vegetables and took them to "The Center of Hope" in Kankakee where it was welcomed with open arms and distributed to those in need. That was only the beginning of the idea. What if...

What if we created an organized effort of planting, growing and harvesting fruits and vegetable for those who may be in need? How much could we provide? The answer to that is... a lot! I am thinking about a loosely organized effort of growing foods for those in need.

• Have a garden? Great! Can you plant an extra plant or two for your local food bank?

• No garden? Outstanding! Can you plant a single container of tomatoes or a mound of potatoes and grow them in a pot on your porch?

• Have a brown thumb and no room on your porch? No problem! Are you willing to spend a day or two a summer planting, hoeing, weeding or harvesting in someone else's garden who is participating?

• What if we created a nationwide effort? We would call it "Our Nations Daily Bread Food Project" where we will "Garden on a Mission! We can have fun while making a difference.

• What if we created a website promoting the effort and also serving as a coordination point to match food with those in need and workers with those with a garden?

Make no mistake about it. There are people and families in need. This is a way you can make a positive difference in the lives of another and it does not take a lot of time or energy. You can pa garden or plant only a couple of plants or even one on your back porch. You can do something big or small... or you can just volunteer a couple hours of time with someone who does have the space but does not have the time.

If everyone grew one or two plants, ate what you wanted and donated the rest it could go a long way in making a positive and profound difference in the lives of those in need.

Think about it... pray about it... we'll talk more later.

Warmest Regards,

Gary