Looking Back on my AmeriCorps Service Term

Many of you have seen me running around the farm, managing volunteers, or maybe delivering produce to the UW Food Pantry. This was all due to my serving as an AmeriCorps member with the UW Farm. I began this full-time position in September 2021 and recently my term of service ended in June 2022. This 10-month position invited many new experiences, growth, laughter, and the opportunity to build and get to know the greater UW community.

During this time, I have met numerous students and community members in different capacities, but the majority of my time was spent:

• leading and managing volunteers in the field
• tracking volunteer hours
• scheduling and leading field trips
• helping many students fulfill their assignments or course credits
• harvesting, preparing and distributing produce to food pantries, households and UW Dining outlets

During my 10 months of service, the UW Farm recruited 266 volunteers who then completed 3,084 hours of work in the field, as they learned how to grow food and forged new friendships! It has been amazing to connect with everyone, and to see the curiosity, determination, and joy while working on the farm no matter the unexpected weather or work that needed to be done.

Another large part of my service term here has been working with the UW Food Pantry. While we delivered 1,193 pounds, or nearly 2 tons of our organic, locally grown food to the pantry, much of the discussion and continued work in our partnership has centered on educational resources for pantry users and volunteers.

Working with UW Farm food security interns every quarter, as well as the UW Food Pantry team, we were able to create signage that identifies the produce, how to store it, and ways to prepare it. We hope to create more opportunities to engage any curious pantry users on our produce, furthering dialogue on how we can best serve the community in regards to food justice and access.

My service as an AmeriCorps member at the UW Farm has reignited much of my passion for community building and food access, and furthered my interest in urban farming and agriculture. I am excited to continue working on the UW Farm for the rest of the summer as  the full-time paid Assistant to the Farm Manager! I have such a strong appreciation for the energy, conversations, and experience you all bring to the farm.

Thank you so much and I am looking forward to seeing you on the farm the rest of the summer.