Gardening and Games to "Make a Difference"

Since March 2010, CVN volunteers have been making a difference at Arlington Traditional School (ATS). To mark the end of our second season of service at ATS, CVN is helping to host a Fall Festival at the school on Saturday, October 22. And if that wasn’t already a big enough deal, the event is also CVN’s opportunity to celebrate Make a Difference Day, a nationwide commemoration of community service.

In the last two years CVN volunteers have shared more than 200 hours of their time to transform the schoolyard garden at ATS into a fun, safe, and biodiverse place to learn and play. As a result, ATS students have ventured outdoors during the school day to learn about a wide range of subjects—from science and math, to reading and art. By directly observing the relationship between butterflies and native plants or sowing seeds that will grow into nutritious vegetables, students have the opportunity to learn by doing—an approach that pays off when it’s time for test taking.

Come to the Fall Festival to see how much our work means to the students, families, and staff of ATS. Kids, parents, neighbors, and CVN volunteers will be enjoying the fall day with games (sack race, anyone?), crafts, pumpkin pie, and apple cider. And for those of us who just can’t help but get dirty—we’ll be continuing our contribution to the garden by laying paving stones so kids will know where it’s safe to walk. If you haven’t yet registered to volunteer, sign up now! Can't wait to see you there.

Gleaning for AFAC: CVN’s Outing to the Countryside

On September 17 a group of CVN volunteers headed out to the apple country around Winchester, VA to make a difference for people right here in Arlington. Every summer and fall the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) enlists volunteers from our community to pick slightly damaged fruits and vegetables at farms in Maryland and Virginia. Known as “gleaning,” this practice provides nutritious and tasty food to people in need while giving farmers an outlet for crops that would otherwise go to waste.

Gleaning requires lots of volunteers—people willing to venture out of the city and take on jobs that require bending, lifting, and getting very muddy/sweaty/soaking wet depending on the weather! CVN volunteers answered that call last Saturday and, despite the rain, gathered bag after bag of apples from beneath the trees at Marker Miller Orchards in Winchester (no picking off the trees, we learned, because the apples on the ground will start to spoil first).

The group had fun working together and alongside volunteers from other Northern Virginia community organizations. After packing the truck with apples, we headed over to the country market for cider, doughnuts, and local wine. What a sweet event! (See more pictures here.)

First-time CVN leaders Rachelle Stoll and Babak Yaghmaei did a fantastic job organizing the event, dealing with last minute changes, and creating a fun team dynamic. They share some of their insights from the day below.

What three words describe your experience gleaning?

Babak: Humbling, Wet, Satisfying

Rachelle: Fun, Rewarding, Yummy

What did you learn about apples/orchards/farms that CVN blog readers might not know?

Rachelle: Don't wash apples until just before you are ready to use them to prevent spoilage. Keeping the apples cool after picking them increases their shelf life.

Babak: Watch for the poison ivy! Did not know poison ivy is so abundant around apple trees.

What was the funniest/sweetest/most interesting thing that another volunteer did in the orchard?

Babak: Everyone was willing to stay as long as it took and wanted to keep picking. That to me was sweet and interesting with a side of funny.

Rachelle: By far the funniest—all the little piglets were running away from us until Michelle discovered she could speak their language. She began making a "snorting piglet noise" and they all came running back over to the fence to check us out!!!

Why should other CVN volunteers participate in gleaning next year?

Rachelle: You are providing healthy fresh fruits and vegetables to food banks while reducing the waste of unused fruits and vegetables.

Babak: More volunteers equals more food for those less fortunate. More volunteers also means more farms to partner with.

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If you want to lead a CVN as fun and exciting as Rachelle and Babak did, step right up! Training will be provided and support shared along the way. Email cvn.r.volunteering@gmail.com for more information.