- Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:47 pm
#178
Planters' fruits of labor not all edible
BY JAMIE SCHUMAN, The Herald-Sun
January 6, 2007 8:38 pm
CHAPEL HILL -- Spence Dickinson started his farm out of concern that family-run farms -- and with them places for children to feel needed, work hard and learn about nature -- were dying.
"We have a world and a country that doesn't really value children's time as a contribution to the needs of the community," said Dickinson, owner of Spence's Farm.
On Saturday, Dickinson and a group of volunteers did their best to offset those concerns.
More than 50 people gathered to celebrate the recent planting of about 150 blueberry bushes and a few rows of blackberry shrubs at the farm.
The berries aren't just meant to be eaten, though many at the open house said they looked forward to tasting the literal fruits of their labor. Instead, they are intended to show area residents, and especially children, where their food comes from and to encourage them to work on similar projects.
A group of about 20 adults from WorldLegacy, a Morrisville-based company that offers leadership and personal-development courses, organized the planting.
A center goal is for students to take lessons they have learned and help the community, co-founder Rob Katz said. One way groups do this is by organizing service projects, which have included beautification at a Ronald McDonald House and a prison.
Katz called the berry project a perfect fit with the center's mission. "It's going to grow both figuratively and literally," he said.
WorldLegacy group, whose members came from the region and even other states, also set up educational signs about farming and the ecosystem near the berry patches.
Its members want to partner with teachers, so children can learn about farming -- and help with the process -- through the display.
The group, along with friends and family members, planted the berries on Dec. 23, a day when many people were finishing their holiday shopping.
"It was about creating instead of consuming," said Melissa Malkin-Weber, a student in WorldLegacy class who, along with other volunteers, wore blue shirts to the celebration.
Malkin-Weber, of Durham, said another goal for the project was to foster community. That goal was, in a way, accomplished on Saturday.
Volunteers and local families listened to a bluegrass band play, watched jugglers toss bats into the sky and ate blueberry crisp.
The bushes will live for about 60 years, so two or three generations will be able to enjoy their fruit. The first harvest will be this summer, Dickinson said.
Dickinson lamented the fact that many family farms were closing because people didn't want to do the work. He intends to ensure the longevity of Spence's Farm through a foundation or other leadership, and said someone who may want to help manage the farm approached him Saturday after learning about the celebration.
Dickinson's farm also hosts farm-themed camps and after-school programs for children. A troublemaker as a child, Dickinson said his farm was a way to empower kids to feel good about themselves.
"On a farm, there's something for everybody," Dickinson said. "Everybody can have a contribution."
Claire Carson, 14, was one of many children who helped plant the berries. Carson, whose mother did WorldLegacy course, said she had done little farming, outside of home gardening, before helping with the project.
She said she was looking forward to returning to Spence's Farm when the berries were ready for harvest.
"It will be nice to come back and say 'I helped create this,' " Carson said.
Last edited by ruby on Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
