Volunteers Help with Fire Cleanup

The first part of last week was pretty grim and dismal. Most of the staff worked from their homes, trying to help in whatever way possible to keep up with ongoing activities and programs. Those that came to the farm to work were faced with cramped quarters in the make-shift office in the chicken shed, an ever present view of the leftover charred rubble, and chilly, gray, cloudy days.

On Thursday, however, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there were new faces showing up at the farm to help with cleanup! The volunteers rolled up their sleeves, put on their gloves, grabbed shovels, donned hard-hats, and jumped right into whatever mess we asked them to work on. We also had weed pullers, wheelbarrow pushers, organizers, sorters, scrubbers, and rakers. Robin Fife's Service Learning class from Tusculum College spent a half day with us, working hard on cleanup, and community members Dorothy Hall and Jody Fagundes devoted their time to our cleanup efforts as well.  We are so grateful for these volunteers!

The energy and hope of the staff was renewed by the willingness and hard work of the volunteers. With their help, we were able to get a huge amount of work accomplished. We are very thankful to them, not only for their physical help, but also for the company, the conversation, and the smiles; the lifting of spirits, the easing of a burden!