We woke with a groggy start at the brisk time of six thirty
in the morning. After a goodnight’s sleep and almost no sleep the night before,
it was a challenge to leave our cozy air mattresses. But, after a few groans,
we each rolled out of bed and began our day.
Unsure of what today’s tasks would include, we anxiously arrived out our
destination: the CASA community garden.
Greeted by two lovely southern ladies, we were briefed on the day’s
tasks, our week-long itinerary, and the purpose of CASA and its garden. CASA, or Care Assurance System for the Aging
and the homebound, is a wonderful organization that provides several services
to citizens of Madison County in Alabama, which includes not only Huntsville,
but several other cities and towns as well. It is one of the largest counties
in the entire state, and the organization is run completely on donation and
volunteer work. They do not use
government money, but provide free services to thousands of senior citizens and
people who need living assistance.
Besides building and maintaining wheelchair ramps for clients all over
the county, one of CASA’s biggest projects and services it provides is a
community garden, where volunteers (particularly Lee, a gardener extraordinaire
and professional edible landscaper, and Karen, a 70 year-old southern lady with
the most polite personality and lots of gumption (“Y’all come back now, ya
hear?” is a phrase she uses often)) grow about 8,000-9,000lbs of organically
grown produce every year, which is then distributed to CASA homebound clients so
that they have the opportunity to eat healthier while cutting down on their
food bills.
After our debriefing, we were thrown into the trusty hands
of Lee, a happy southern gentleman who put us straight to work. Four tough
hours in the garden included potato planting, mulching, composting,
rearranging, trash pick-up, and weeding. After a glorious hour of lunch, (a
simple turkey sandwich has never tasted so good) it was back to the garden for
another four hours of weeding, planting, mulching, and onion cutting. At one point, Karen pulled me aside:
“Have
you seen our refrigerator?” she asked.
Thinking she was talking about the unattractive dirt-monster
standing right behind her, I was a bit confused, but I went along with it.
“No.” I
said.
“Well
then, follow me!” she said.
To my slowly dying surprise, she led me to a shed near the
fence on the North side of the garden.
Apparently Lowe’s had donated a discontinued shed to CASA, which happens
to have a very talented refrigeration expert on the volunteer staff, who decked
the shed out with an air conditioner so that those taking care of the garden
can simply store produce there until it is ready to be picked up. According to Karen, for most of the delivery
volunteers, it’s like going grocery shopping for their clients, only better,
because they don’t have to pay! This was
probably the coolest aspect of my day.
It is incredible how much this one organization can do for so many people
through the power of other’s generosity and service. I even ventured to ask Karen how much money
went into the garden—apparently a LOT, since CASA has to pay for water and
electricity year-round in order to keep their plot available to them through
the city, along with paying for the seeds and other gardening tools they need. According to Lee, though, the garden produces
enough food that if it were to sell it (since the food is grown organically)
the amount of produce they provide each year would be enough to cover their
expenses and still make a pretty hefty profit.
Which is all the more reason CASA is such an awesome organization to be
working for.
Finally we called it a day after eight total hours running
around in the dirt. Our wonderful church facilities came with a kitchen,
complete with utensils, dinnerware, and cooking pots, so Jenny and I used our
incredible chef powers to make the group spaghetti; a delicious way to end the
day. Afterwards, we ventured to
Starbucks to catch up on tweets, facebook, e-mails, and blogs, and of course,
upload our adorable photos of the trip so far.
Being the smallest group may mean we are at a bit of a disadvantage for
the Alternative Breaks PR game, but I think we are already bonding like family!
-Tasha Cerny CASA Summer Alternative Break, 2012
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