Monday, August 19, 2013

Truly Supported Agriculture



All of us at the farm have been blown away with the unprecedented level of support, dedication and help we have received from all of the working shareholders and dedicated, regular volunteers so far this season. Never before have we had such an involved community at Henry Got Crops! We appreciate your involvement- whether it is making popcorn for the movie night, weeding the beets, or staffing the pick-up. It is about time I introduce this impressive group of people that volunteer at the farm on a weekly basis. There is something really special about this year, as never before have we had such an enthusiastic, dedicated and reliable group lending a hand and chipping in to help get the job done. Thank you all!!!
Jen Kelly- Jen is responsible for keeping the leeks weed free this year!
Jen Hall- Jen always brings the good weather with her on Wednesday mornings, not to mention her good company!
Lory Soda- Lory is a frisbee enthusiast who brings the energy of a competitive Frisbee game to the field!
Ali Lacombe- Ali takes the cake for most enthusiastic shareholder, hands down!
Laura Seeley- Rain or shine, Laura bikes to the farm and still puts in long hard hours helping in the field, she also brings much appreciate gifts in the form of homemade ginger beer!
Lisa Kolker- Lisa staffs the pick-up on Tuesdays from 2-4, plus she ensures our harvest records are complete and puts together our sign-in sheet; she’s been staffing the pick-up for three years now!
Laura Mass- Laura never lets her energy level fade, even as her due date gets closer and closer! She started helping out in the field well before the CSA season started. We are looking forward to meeting the newest farm family member in November!
Ali Dworsack- Ali staffs the pick-up on Tuesdays from 4-6pm and always impresses us by serving double duty: tending to her baby Olive while keeping the pick-up and farm stand running smoothly and maintaining a friendly smile and a level head on her shoulders!
Nicole Barnum- Nicole started volunteering at the farm in the late winter, helping us seed in the greenhouse; we are happy she joined the CSA this season and have her to thank for a strong, happy spring seedlings!
Heidi Barr- Heidi has helped work in the field for two years and everyone always loves working with her; she brings laughter, creativity and resourcefulness to Henry Got Crops!
Kate Pelusi- Kate is responsible for maintaining one of our beds of Swiss Chard; we are grateful for the many hats she wears- helping in the field, helping with the Harvest on Henry fundraiser and being a member of the Farm Committee!
Al Pearson- There is no job too detailed for Al, one of our most thorough weeders! Al not only helps in the field, but is also a diligent seeder!
Sarah Punderson- Sarah is a long standing working shareholder and has done everything from staffing the pick-up in past years, to drying herbs for making teas, to helping in the field. Sarah is so enthusiastic about working at the farm, she is about to start a “week in life of a farm apprentice!”
Beth Johnston- Beth staffs the pick-up on Fridays from 4-7pm. This is our longest shift and yet she always stays until the job is done and helps us pull through our exhausted, Friday night clean-ups!
Nancy Dearden- Nancy coordinates our events, workshops and the Harvest on Henry fundraiser. She keeps Nina on her toes and sets the bar high with her impressive level of organization, professionalism and efficiency!
Ann Keiser- Ann wears two hats at the farm; she not only works in the field, but she is also responsible for formatting our newsletter and finding delicious recipes to share, Thank you Ann for ensuring this key means of communication happens every week without a hitch!
Lori Howlett- Lori staffs the pick-up every Tuesday from 6-8pm and keeps the wash station and pick-up building clean and organized; thank goodness we have her help on a weekly basis to keep things in order!
Jessica McAtamney- Jess is a teacher at Saul and our “liaison” with the school. Without Jess, this farm would never have gotten off the ground and we are grateful for the dedication, passion, energy and love she has for this farm and school!
Georgia Kirkpatrick and Randi Weinberg- Georgia and Randi share a share and are old college friends who help the farm in many ways. They staff the pick-up on Fridays from 2-4pm, keep our facebook page up to date and help Nina stay on top of emails!
Katie Maher- Katie is a new shareholder this year but I’m not sure how we survived without her in the past! She often works 8 hour days in the field and has a refreshing eagerness to fully understand the ins and outs of the farm operations!
Claire Morton- Claire is a dedicated volunteer who sought us out under her own initiative to learn more about farming; she is a quick learner and a joy to work with!
Joanna Sinclair- Jo helps fill in for the pick-up, helps out in the field and also helps with the fundraiser. She integrates the farm into her family and her family into the farm in a way that is inspiring to everyone!
Alex McMahon- Alex has taken on the specialized task of helping maintain our orchard across the street. If it weren’t for him, our blueberries would have long since been overcome with weeds!
Brian Rudnick- Brian adopted the row of peas and pea shoots and also boasts one of Weavers Way Farms’ longest standing volunteers- Brian used to volunteer at the Mort Brooks farm back before Weavers Way even had a farmer on staff, more than ten years ago!
Jim Salom- Jim is responsible for maintaining one of our beds of Swiss Chard. Jim is committed to the farm not only as a shareholder, but also as the husband of Ellen, a Saul teacher.
Angela Arnold- Angela is one of our most spirited volunteers; on her first day at the farm she exclaimed, “this is going to be good for my soul!”
Adam Bailey- Adam came to the farm as a volunteer, eager to learn as much as possible about farming. Since starting with us just over a month ago, he has already started a community garden in the vacant lot next to his house in North Philly. We are so excited for his new project, “Good Neighbor Farm!”
Pam Chaplin-Loebell – It is a joy to see Pam on Thursdays with her two daughters who love to come with her to the farm. Pam helps in the field and her husband David, who is a staff member of the co-op, is a lifeline for the farmers in the IT department!

And this is only the tip of the iceberg! There are even more generous people who help with our fundraiser, volunteer at the farm and make donations. It would fill a book to acknowledge everyone, but I can’t thank you all enough for your contributions, both small and large!

No comments:

Post a Comment