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Dear Editor:

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Thank you for your publication of the valuable stories about the Jim Harlin Community Pantry.

The first story about the HOPE Garden grants credit to Youth Conservation Corps.  I am the long-time director of that excellent City of Gallup sponsored youth workforce program.  Over 15 years, Gallup YCC has completed a number of worthwhile projects of durable community benefit with a trained, equipped, supervised, and paid youth workforce recruited from our community.

Corps members are appropriately proud of all their work –adventure trails, safe routes to school, gardens, restoration projects.  Gallup YCC built the Brickyard Bike Park alongside City Parks & Recreation workers and removed 500 tons of trash and glass from our open spaces.  Gallup YCC is a state-funded program and enjoys financial support from the City and McKinley County.

However, The Pantry Wall – we call it the Ziggurat – does not contain 75,000 tons of stone but merely  1,000 tons (estimated).  YCC completed the Ziggurat in one year with significant support from the Boys & Girls Club of Gallup.  The Ziggurat is up-wind of the HOPE Garden installations and, therefore, on the west side of the Pantry.

The Community welcomes Ms. Perez to her new job and YCC is grateful for the opportunity to work with the Pantry to support its wonderful  work in our regional community.

Karl Lohmann, Director

City of Gallup Youth Conservation Corps

13 Kestrel-Coal Basin, Gamerco