Saturday was a great day! In spite of the rain, there were ten immigrant families who braved the chilly, damp morning to break ground and plant seeds. We started at 11:00 and by 11:30 it had started to rain and things got good and muddy. Everyone's feet were caked in two tons of mud within minutes; but no one left. They all stayed and got soaked while continuing to prepare the ground and planting.
It was great to hear the comments, see the smiles, and watch the interaction. One lady from Burma, and her husband, stayed well into the afternoon... I don't think they left till 4:00, and she kept saying how much she likes to garden and how perfect this was because she had no space for a vegetable garden at home. The Hispanic children that I was working with kept telling me how much they were learning and how much fun this was for them. Their family of 5 are crammed in a small apartment, so they don't get to do this type of stuff. Another friend was happy with the opportunity to get his children together and teach them something useful while getting the headphones out of their ears. On the 7th there will be a group of elderly Hispanics working on a plot together and there is another new family heading out on Friday to start their garden, so it looks like even more people will be spending the summer with all of us.
Thank you to all of you who donated food, time, and tools for the sake of these people. We had volunteers come from all over and we had donations come from as far away as Baraboo! Thank you. You all were a blessing and brought a sense of 'belonging' to those who came. These people are looking for acceptance and community in and among our culture and all of them said how great it was to rub shoulders with all of you.
Thank you
Jason for the rest
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