Alex Dular

Upon arrival I was greeted by AnnaGrace and given a tour of the property. She also explained Rise Up’s mission and its role within the community. The food that is harvested is given to the food pantry at the church next door. Farming and gardening practices are taught to volunteers as well as members of the community. There are programs throughout the year to educate local youth, as well as to give hands-on experience.

To get started I harvested and portioned okra to be handed out at the food pantry that morning. Inedible okra was not wasted but was instead collected to send to an aviary. I was then asked to weed in the turnip beds. This is to remove unwanted plants that are taking valuable resources from the vegetables and hopefully produce more food.

While there were many volunteers, there was plenty of work to be done, and so weeding was an individual task for each volunteer in different plant beds. This did not stop communication and socialization. Conversations were had across the field and with those that waited in line at the food bank. These conversations consisted of helpful observations and recommendations, one volunteer had some great questions, and the building of community through socialization. AnnaGrace also made rounds to check if anyone needed help and to make sure that everyone was ok while still getting her work done.

I love gardening so this gave me an opportunity to find like-minded peers within the community. Volunteers had a range of skill levels related to the work, but everyone was happy to learn and help. I also know what it is like to be at the receiving end at the food bank. Helping in a community garden is something that I can do to help those with food insecurity while I cannot donate resources. This is something that I would like to do more of.

I’ve always known that I want to do something to help those around me. However, this experience has made me start thinking about ways to apply my intended career to causes like this. How can I utilize data analytics to improve our community?