This spring, we had over 700 volunteers! People weeded and planted at our Giving Garden at Marra Farm, distributed seeds at food banks, grew starts in the Wallingford greenhouse and tended the giving garden plots and community gardens around the city. Our volunteers commit their time, energy, knees and backs to providing hungry families with nourishing food, and with the number of food bank clients on the rise, their hard work has never been more important–or appreciated.

To show our appreciation for our wonderful volunteers, Farmer Sue opened up her home for a potluck to end all potlucks – after all, no one cooks quite like a gardener. Kale and herb salad, black sesame asparagus, fresh-from-the-garden mojitos, strawberry-rhubarb pie… A deliciously local spring feast, indeed. We ate, we drank, we talked, and hopefully over the course of the night, conveyed our immense appreciation to our volunteers. You are the heart of our mission – we can’t do it without you! 

So, here’s to our volunteers, their gardens, the start of summer (finally!), and what will surely be a fruitful 2012 growing season. Grow on, gardeners!

Missed our June volunteer appreciation dinner? Never fear, we’ll have another one October 11th. Save the date!