Volunteer Highlight: Jan, Janet, and Kevin
We want to express our deepest gratitude to Jan Belsky, Janet Ash, and Kevin Ash, for taking a fearless approach to serving over 500 hours at EFN in the midst of COVID-19. Being an awesome volunteer in this climate requires tenacity, drive, and passion. We appreciate their eagerness to get the job done and we want to recognize their efforts. Thank you all for building a working team!
Our volunteers do not miss an opportunity to share their love of EFN’s Mother Earth Farm and the staff that manage it. We asked Janet to share a little more about why she volunteers and why you should too!
Janet Ash chose to volunteer at EFN’s Mother Earth Farm because of the pandemic. Though her husband had been volunteering with EFN for years, Janet hadn’t volunteered at the farm before, but when she discovered that the typical volunteers from Purdy Correctional couldn’t come to the farm, she jumped at the opportunity to help others and be outside. Janet says, “Honestly, working at the farm with my husband 3 times a week has been the best part of this dark pandemic chapter. I get to be in the meditative friendly atmosphere with others working the land. I can honestly say there has not been one day since we started that I haven’t looked forward to being at Mother Earth. It is a wonderful part of our life.”
To someone who is thinking about volunteering, but doesn’t know if it will be a good fit for them, Janet advises: “Anything you can do will be appreciated. Any time you can contribute will be appreciated. I have appreciated the care the staff has shown us – we are daily checked for symptoms: temperature taken, social distancing and masks are routine, along with conversations about safety and how we are doing. I feel really safe. The farm is big and needs labor, it is not back breaking work. Seeing the progress of what you plant – from seeds, to seedlings, to putting them in the dirt, setting up irrigation, weeding, then harvesting – has been a revelation for me, and has allowed me to appreciate the seasons in a way I never have. The experience is full of gratitude – for everyone there working together, the fact we can give nutritious food to food banks, the beauty of the farm and its rich valley soil. I always leave happy.”
What are you looking to get out of your volunteer experience? For Janet, volunteering has been empowering. She doesn’t feel helpless in the face of 2020 — she knows that she is doing something to help others. Janet has met people through this experience who have brightened her life, plus she’s been introduced to many new and delicious kinds of vegetables!
Again thank you Janet, Kevin and Jan. If you’d and have a fulfilling experience like Janet sign up to volunteer here.