TMS 2009 Annual Meeting attendees will have a chance to create a lasting change in the San Francisco Bay Area prior to the start of the meeting. Like last year in New Orleans, members and guests are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and donate their time to help less fortunate families live better lives.

On Saturday, February 14, volunteers will work together to build raised garden beds, plant seedlings, weed or turn compost bins, and lay wood chips along the paths, among other duties at Alemany Farm during the Hands On Bay Area Community Service Project. The organic garden TMS 2009 attendees and guests plant will serve as a way to improve and expand sustainable agricultural practices in the Bay Area. With the help of local educators and farmers, the organic garden will be used as a tool to teach the community about water conservation, composting, permaculture, and other environmental topics.

The project is free and includes transportation to the project site and an on-site lunch.

Below are pictures from the 2008 TMS Hands On New Orleans Project. Volunteers helped to renovate local schools that had not fully recovered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

To read more about the Hands On Bay Area Project planned for San Francisco, visit the Community Service Project section of the TMS 2009 Annual Meeting homepage at www.tms.org/Meetings/Annual-09/handsOnProject.aspx. An in depth story, along with an interview with Molly Walsh, vice president of business development at USA Hosts/Key Events, the organization TMS will pair with to make Hands On Bay Area a success, can be found in the January issue of JOM.