{"id":3746,"date":"2008-10-22T12:12:18","date_gmt":"2008-10-22T18:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=3746"},"modified":"2008-10-22T12:12:18","modified_gmt":"2008-10-22T18:12:18","slug":"will-work-for-food-security-five-tips-to-volunteer-with-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/will-work-for-food-security-five-tips-to-volunteer-with-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Work for Food (Security): Five Tips to Volunteer with Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Next to bathroom breaks and brushing teeth, eating may be one of the most routine, daily activities we engage in. Yet perhaps because food is so engrained in our everyday existence, we forget that it can readily be a strong means for us to activate some activism, no committee sign-ups required.<\/p>\n

Instead blend your own creativity and contribution and come up with your own vision and project for promoting sustainable agriculture and local food. Come up with your own project to work towards a secure, healthy food system. Think out of the box and beyond just the dollars you spend at your farmers\u2019 market. How can you contribute your skills, interests and enthusiasm toward bigger-picture change?<\/p>\n

Melinda and Dan Hemmelgarn provide super-sized inspiration in such self-initiated, purposeful volunteering. Long-time supporters of their local farmers\u2019 market<\/a> in Columbia, Missouri, this creative couple blended their talents and passions into creating a calendar featuring area farmers: Farm Hands \u2013 a Tribute to the hands that feed us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A self-initiated project, the Hemmelgarns cooked up more than just a fund-raising venture for a new pavilion for the Columbia Farmers\u2019 Market<\/a>, as the impact of this project reached far deeper than dollars.
\n\u201cNever have we been so richly rewarded, and it has nothing to do with money,\u201d explains Melinda, who credits the Columbia Farmers\u2019 Market as a key reason for the vibrant health of her children and family over the years. \u201cI feel very indebted and grateful to our local market because I believe our family\u2019s health is what it is because I can buy and feed them quality food regularly.<\/p>\n

This sense of gratitude prompted the Hemmelgarns to come up with the Farm Hands calendar<\/a> project. The project blended Dan\u2019s growing interest in photography \u2013 something he can pursue now that he\u2019s retired from a career with the local fire department \u2013 and Melinda\u2019s<\/a> public health journalism and dietitian background.<\/p>\n

The 2009 calendar<\/a> features Dan\u2019s artistic, sepia-toned tight shots of farmers\u2019 hands, juxtaposed next to Melinda\u2019s descriptive copy. \u201cI asked each farmer the same questions: What is your greatest pleasure, what are your challenges, and what do you want the world to know about your work ,\u201d explains Melinda.<\/p>\n

The Hemmelgarns calendar project exemplifies how anybody can create a means to contribute to their local food system. \u201cWe don\u2019t hold any position on any committee or anything formally for the market,\u201d Melinda explains. \u201cWe\u2019re just regular shoppers who felt the creative urge to do something more. We see the Columbia Farmers\u2019 Market<\/a> as providing nourishment beyond food. This weekly event brings people together and nourishes our need for community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are five tips from the Hemmelgarns for creating your own local food project:<\/p>\n

1. Follow Your Heart<\/strong>
\nWhatever the project may be, make sure it reflects your passions and interests. While Dan already had a love for photography, the calendar project allowed him to focus on the intracies of hard-working hands.<\/p>\n

2. Follow Your Strengths<\/strong>
\nBuilding on what you\u2019re passionate about, create the project around your strengths and talent. Photography and writing serve as Dan and Melinda\u2019s strengths. Dan also contributed his computer graphic design talents for the calendar layout.<\/p>\n

3. Keep It Local<\/strong>
\n\u201cWe tried to keep as much of this project in the Columbia community as possible,\u201d explains Melinda. \u201cWe might have saved money by printing the calendars overseas but that wasn\u2019t the point of this project and instead we worked with a local printer to further support our local economy. \u201d<\/p>\n

4. Think Beyond Cash<\/strong>
\nWhile the primary, initial objective of Farm Hands<\/a> remains to raise money for the Farmers\u2019 Market Pavilion Fund, the Hemmelgarns quickly realized that the rewards and impact of this project reached beyond just a fund-raiser. \u201cA calendar is something people look at every day throughout the year,\u201d explains Melinda. \u201cWe chose the visuals carefully with the hope that they might serve as a year-round reminder about our connection to those who produce our food and our local food system. One way to evoke policy changes that protect small family farmers is to reach people at their emotional heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, the time spent at each farm for the photo shoot and interview added additional rewards. \u201cFarmers loved to tell their stories, that don’t get heard often enough,\u201d Melinda adds. As a result, everyone increases their connection and commitment to the Columbia Farmers\u2019 Market<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. Involve Others<\/strong>
\nWhile Dan and Melinda volunteered their time and talents to create the calendar, they never saw this as solely their own project. \u201cIt was very rewarding for us as others shared their faith in us and this project and volunteered their support from setting up a website to marketing the calendar,\u201d sums up Melinda. The farmers\u2019 market contributed printing costs for the 3,000 calendars, which retail at $15.00 and are sold both at the market and on-line.<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Dan Hemmelgarn, Enduring Image Fine Art Photography & Environmental Photography<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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