Volunteers Abound on the Farm
“A community is like a garden full of flowers, shrubs and trees. Each helps to give life to the other. Together they bear witness to the beauty of God, creator and gardener-extraordinary.” - Jean Vanier
Spring has come, and we at L’Arche Farm & Gardens are just beginning to see the new fruit and growth in the earth around us. As we cultivate new life, we recognize that the Farm wouldn’t be as beautiful and complete of an experience without our faithful volunteers. As the weather warms and winter ends, we find ourselves increasingly in the presence of abundant volunteers and we are incredibly grateful for all of the support and energy they bring to our days.
At the Farm we have grown accustomed to our faithful individual volunteers who make a regular commitment, rain or shine. Whether they work one day, a week, or several, each is an integral part of building relationships and increasing our mission to the greater community. Margaret, who has been volunteering with us every Tuesday for more than 13 years, is a true blessing. Her gardening expertise, flexibility, and compassion is invaluable and she has grown to become a great friend to many on the Farm. Tom is another Tuesday volunteer and a good friend to many of the core members. His calming presence and dedication to L’Arche is a gift to the Farm. We are also so happy when Nathan graces us with his presence and talents on Wednesdays and Fridays. And where would we be without the many skills and gifts Teresa and Misha offer the Farm on Thursdays and Fridays. Teresa and Margaret pruned all of our fruit trees in a matter of days, and Misha brings the gift of signing to our morning meetings engaging us all in new ways.
The Farm also has a special relationship with Franklin Pierce High School. Some students, like Brandon, Nick, and Patrick visit and gain work skills for their pathway to employment. Our newest intern, Greg can be seen mowing, landscaping and helping move dirt. Nick has been a faithful sweeper when he visits and Patrick, although he has gone onto other opportunities, was a great help at moving chips and organizing pots. Brandon actually helped us secure a grant to sponsor several chickens. Every day, as a part of his educational plan, Brandon feeds those chickens. We cherish these diverse and faithful individuals, and see them as an integral part of our community.
Sometimes those individual volunteers call in a few favors, and we end up with some amazing results. At Farm volunteer Kathy Sessler’s suggestion to her husband Jay, the folks at Sessler Inc., Fife Sand & Gravel, Janke Enterprises and Randles Sand & Gravel collectively donated a road’s worth of gravel and completely revamped our rapidly deteriorating drive on the Farm. For their gifts of materials, time, talents, and hearts, we will be forever grateful.
Because work on the Farm is never done, we have the ability to welcome volunteer groups as well. This year we have enjoyed the fruits of visits from staff from Russel Investments and Charles Wright Academy, and the Davita Dietitians. It’s our hope that these day-of-service groups value their time with us not only as a chance to strengthen relationships within their organizations but are also positively affected by seeing the abilities, rather than the disabilities, of our farm team. Similarly, we welcome students from nearby universities like PLU and University of Puget Sound, who are looking to meet community service requirements. These volunteers come on a consistent basis, generally over the course of a couple of months and end up forming lasting relationships with our Farm crew.
We’ve also welcomed groups that have come consistently once each year. One such group is made up of folks from JC Penney who have been staging our farm for Spring Fling for several years now. Also among these once-a-year groups are faith-based groups like the Bellarmine Faith in Formation group as well as the students from McKenna Elementary and the Bryant Montessori 7th and 8th graders. Though we do work together, their visits focus more on relationships, which allow us to be intentional with our morning prayer and give us the opportunity to get to know each other as individuals.
Bearing in mind our “people-first” mentality, it is always our hope that relationships are in the forefront of every group’s experience with us, but some are more labor intensive than others. Comcast will be blessing us with 150 volunteers at our Spring Fling on April 30. We’ve also welcomed many hard-working college students throughout the year. First-year students from the University of Puget Sound joined us as a part of their Fall orientation, and students from Gonzaga University, University of Texas, University of Portland, and University of Montana, have chosen to be a part of an alternative spring break program through their school. We had the joy of sharing our “Potatoes on Saint Patrick’s Day” planting tradition with the U of T students who worked whole-heartedly with us for an entire week embracing Washington rain and shine. And, we can’t forget to recognize the continued monthly presence of the middle school students from Firgrove and fourth graders from Charles Wright. These young, energetic people come for an educational experience and aren’t afraid to get in the dirt or even shovel chicken manure, to do so.
Some groups visit the farm just to find out what we’re about and how we operate. Individual classes from the University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma Community College (TCC), and Highline Community College have visited the farm to learn about sustainability, local food, and environmental education. With these types of groups we take a long, intentional tour and sneak in a bit of work while we’re at it. These education-based group visits provide excellent networking opportunities as well as space to build relationships. Many of these students decide to contact us later on for more information about what we do or to set up individual volunteer times of their own. Though they might be short-term relationships, we truly value every one.
We are fortunate to welcome so many volunteer groups and individuals to the farm, and though this list might seem long already, it is by no means comprehensive. We love our volunteers because they do projects we are unable to do; they keep us on track for the season so we can concentrate on the little things. And while we so appreciate the work they do for us, the most important work is the stuff they do with us. Volunteers are able to build relationships and see that individuals with disabilities are people with varying abilities and are able to find the gifts that each person has.
Regardless of the initial intent of the volunteering group, whether they come to us simply for a service experience, environmental education experience, or specifically to work with folks with developmental disabilities, our intent in welcoming them is the same: to offer each individual the chance to experience the transformative power of seeing and working with people who are rarely credited for their abilities. It is our hope that volunteers are transformed, in some way, by their experience working with us.
by Molly Ehling, Lutheran Volunteer on the Farm