Saturday afternoon in 90 degree weather, 7 committed volunteers worked diligently for over two hours transferring Irene eggplant seedlings from the greenhouse to the field, where they will grow to feed low-income families in the Boston area. At Waltham Fields Community Farm their mission is to grow local, organic produce to feed those living in impoverished areas while teaching them the benefits of eating fresh produce.
WFCF donates free, fresh, and delicious produce to community programs and also runs a Community Sustained Agriculture program so farmers don’t have to go into debt. This CSA program gives farmers the upfront capital needed to fix their tractors, buy their seeds, and then produce amazing, organic produce between June and October.
The volunteer team came from Cambridge, Waltham, and Boston and together we planted 716 plants, finishing 3 rows at the field. This was really hard work! Husband and wife Nanditha and Navaneeth were excited to learn about WFC, since they try to eat local and organic foods. Olivia from Waltham had done some gardening in her day and was thrilled to be giving back only a few miles from her home. MIT grads Yunjie, Shu, and Lydia needed a day out of the city and were ready to try their hands at farming.
At the end of the shift while discussing how hard we had worked, we took the time to realize all that goes into getting that eggplant onto our dinner plates. We only helped with one step in the process and we were exhausted. We all had a deep gratitude for the farmers who spend long days working out in these fields. Also a thanks to Jericho at Waltham Fields for coordinating a great volunteer experience (and providing much needed popsicles!).
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