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Greeting Creators!

December is here and winter is just around the corner! Let's welcome this new season with a warm beverage - we've been loving teas lately! 🌟

Let's start this month off right with a fun joke! Get the answer at the end of the newsletter. 😄

What did the tree say after a long winter?

GIVING TUESDAY is December 2, 2025!

After the rush of holiday shopping, Giving Tuesday is a time to give back to what truly matters: our local community!

Your support of Killeen Creators helps us combat hunger through community gardens that provide fresh, healthy food to our community. Our programs also help support recovery and healing through gardening and art, offering a space for growth, connection, and renewal.

Every gift helps us grow more produce, empower more volunteers, and nourish more neighbors. THANK YOU!

COMMUNITY GARDENS

AmeriCorps members are definitely dedicated to SERVICE, but they also know how to have FUN!

Here's a silly video of a glimpse - behind the scenes!

Two people happily dance in a cluttered creative workshop, filled with shelves and art supplies. The mood is lively and informal. Text above reads: Behind the Scenes at Killeen Creators.

COMMUNITY GARDENS

Gardening with Garret - Winter Gardening Tips

Do You Know How to Protect Your Outdoor Plants from a Cold Snap?

Before a large dip in temperatures when it might frost is to heavily mulch your outdoor pots and beds followed by watering. Watering after heavily mulching will help insulate the roots during low temperatures.

Depending on what you have in the garden you may want to cover your crops with a Frost Blanket, Row Cover, or a tarp. If you don't have any of those, an old sheet or blanket will do!

Illustration of a smiling carrot artist with a beret, surrounded by a caterpillar, flower, butterfly, and pea pod. Text: 'Planting Hope, Growing Change. Killeen Creators 5th Anniversary & Growing!'

If you have plants in pots or boxes, moving some plants into your house or even along the side of your house will protect your plants.

REMINDER: All plants are different and have different needs! Doing your research for what you have is important and worthwhile!

Community garden with raised beds full of greenery and a welcoming sign. A metal archway frames the entrance, adorned with a playful pumpkin decoration, under a clear blue sky.

A plush carrot toy is placed in a wooden box amid potted plants on a market table.

Texas Arbor Day

We had a good turnout for our Texas Arbor Day ceremony which was a combined effort between Killeen Creators and our partners at the Killeen Garden Club. We planted two pear trees in honor of a community member, Betsey Rolston, who died tragically in a car accident earlier this year. Her daughter, Jessamy, wanted her mother honored with a fruit tree that would be there to feed our community.

In addition to honoring our lost community member, our Board Chair, Tess Griffin, shared the following information about Arbor Day at the event:

Two women smiling while planting a small tree in a grassy area, using shovels. They are near a wheelbarrow, under clear blue skies.

Some of you gathered here today might be confused and thinking, "I'm fairly sure Arbor Day is in April? What are we doing celebrating it in November?!

While National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, Texas made an intentional choice. Our state officially set Texas Arbor Day as the first Friday in November - a decision rooted (pun intended!) in what's best for our trees and our climate.

In much of the state, springtime can already be too hot for young trees to take root and thrive. By planting in the fall, we give new trees the best possible start: cooler weather, more moisture, and plenty of time to establish strong root systems before facing the heat of a Texas summer.

A young tree planted in soil, supported by a plaque with a photograph and text, surrounded by people standing on grassy ground.

That's why the late fall and early winter months are considered the ideal tree planting season here. Trees planted now have months to grow steady and strong before the stress of summer arrives.

A diverse group of people gathers outdoors for a community gardening event on a sunny day.

Trees do so much more than give us shade and beauty; they also feed our communities. From pecans and peaches to citrus and figs, many of our Texas trees provide fresh, local food that nourishes families and supports wildlife.

So today, as we celebrate Texas Arbor Day, let's take a moment to appreciate the trees that make our neighborhoods, parks, and cities more beautiful, the same trees that cool our air, feed our people, and keep Texas thriving for generations to come.

OAR - Operation Art of Recovery

10th St. Studio & Recovery Clubhouse

OAR's Mission is to draw our military and artist communities together to create spaces and opportunities for hope and healing through art and creativity.

Here's our DECEMBER Calendar!

While we honor drop-ins if there are open seats, we encourage you to sign up on Eventbrite to make SURE there's room. Click this link or the calendar below to reserve your seat!

MEMBERS - the Members code for Eventbrite is KCMembers25

REMINDER!

Killeen Creators Studio will be CLOSED
December 25th – January 1st for our winter break.
Our community gardens will continue to be open to be able to harvest and relax.

QUILTS FOR KIDS

The Bell County Child Welfare Board "Rainbow Rooms" are a store-like setting where a case worker can go to obtain items that each child needs, free of charge. We have 3 Rainbow Rooms in Bell County that serve all children in CPS care as an emergency resource center.

Sewing class with diverse adults focused on projects in a cozy, art-filled room. A Safe Space sign promotes kindness and embracing imperfections.

Killeen Creators' have been busy cutting donated fabric into 10 inch squares and sewing love into every stitch so our most vulnerable community children can have a comforting item of their own while going through challenges.

The Rainbow Rooms are supplied through community donations, grants and fundraisers and are in constant need of items for children from newborn to 18 years. Onesies, Bottles, Pacifiers, sippy cups, bibs, thermometers, baby wipes, baby wash, baby shampoo and lotion along with elementary school age clothing are in constant demand. They accept new items only to ensure the children have items that are theirs alone.

A person sewing at a table with a white sewing machine, working on a colorful fabric featuring cartoon characters. The workspace is filled with organized supplies.

You can check them out at Bell County Child Welfare Board or call KC's Vice Chair, Sandra Blankenship, Bell County Child Welfare Board Rainbow Room Coordinator at 254-768-7231

Killeen Creators

701 N 10th St, Killeen TX 76541|254-213-2210

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