Sofia Belenky
Internship Reflection

My legs, a bit scratched from cucumber plants, remind me to wear long pants next week as the sun begins to go down. I tip my head upside down under the water container and drink the minty cold water. I know that I won't be able to eat a carrot with out the dirt on it ever again after the amazing ones from the High Mowing Seeds field. From 3pm to around 6pm I would work on Thursday, driving to High Mowing Seeds in Wolcott. Every time I drove up the hill approaching the field John Mayer’s song waiting on the world to change blares in my speakers. I would always feel this sense of right in the world and excitement on that road. It didn't matter what I looked like, as long as I was wearing my muck boots and big jeans I was ready to go.

When I arrived Theresa and Jen would always happily great me and I would sign in, grab a bucket and knife and head out to the zucchini. I loved the fact that with just a few hours of volunteer effort we were making it possible for those hungry in Vermont to get nutritious and amazing vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. It felt so good in the field. A lot of farm produce is never made available to those in need, it is so important that Salvation Farms makes it possible to make sure all the food in Vermont is being used. Salvation Farms brings the food from farms like High Mowing Seeds and sends it to places like the Vermont Food Bank. Gleaning was such a worthwhile experience. I would leave the farm feeling so much more confident that our world was heading in the right direction, that there was compassion and peace. Out in the field talking to Josh, Jen, Mary, and Theresa we would pick squash after squash. Black Beauty, Goldys, West Indies, Green apple, and Mexican Sours. They were all names of vegetables. The meaning of food changed, food not only has to satisfy hunger, but it should enrich our minds and bodies as well. These vegetables were beautiful, healthy, and organic from the earth. These vegetables made people glow. I want more for the people of the world, not to only be able to eat, but to eat well, to be healthy.

The different colored corn and long lines of vegetables lay before me as I lie with my younger sister in the grass. We stare up at the earths ceiling waiting for Theresa and her truck to arrive. I hope that every little thing will help in making a difference. I think that if we all begin to work together, to work to change the situation of hunger that empowerment will begin and stomachs will be fed. It is so important the work Salvation Farms does. I learned so much listening to conversations in the field, and learning that to work to prevent hunger we must start at the sources of food; the earth.

Days of picking and sorting varieties of cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, zucchini, and squash was an incredible thing to have the opportunity to do, to help an organization making such an outstanding difference in Vermont. I had such a good time this summer with Salvation Farms. This is probably one of the most important things that can be done in Vermont to help work towards ending hunger. We need to make sure no food is wasted, that families can get nutritious food, and live happy lives full of enriching learning. I wipe the brown earth onto my jeans and walk towards my flower covered car beside the gardens of sunflowers, pink and orange.