Happy AmeriCorps Month! Common Threads feels very fortunate indeed to have 13 fabulous AmeriCorps service members helping to grow good eaters across Whatcom County. These are smart, passionate, creative young people who have gifted our community with 10.5 months of their lives. For the remainder of this month, we’ll be celebrating our service members by featuring a few of the stories they have written about what AmeriCorps service has meant to them. Thank You, AmeriCorps Team!
A story of service, by Americorps Food Educator Bree Farmer
Common Threads Americorps Food Educator Bree Farmer celebrating with students in the garden
My name is Bree Farmer and I am a Common Threads Americorps Food Educator. I joined AmeriCorps because I wanted to see the future of our country rise up and take ownership of our decisions, land, and our community partnerships. With that goal in mind, I’m connecting kids with healthy foods in gardens and classrooms at elementary schools in Whatcom County.
In the process, I am witnessing elementary school children tasting varieties of local and fresh vegetables and trying new recipes with in the classroom. They are learning about what grows around them and how they can be a part of taking care of it all — and taking care of themselves.
I hear students admit that they never liked broccoli before but now they absolutely love it, or that they’d previously been forced to eat kale but now they know a kale recipe they enjoy and want share with their families at home.
I notice that, once students are able to use their own hands and minds to make decisions about what they consume, their attitudes about healthy food shift to acceptance. I appreciate being able to provide students with the information, experiences and resources to enable them to make that shift.
After our cooking lessons, I hear many students planning to make the salad recipe for their families and community events. They stand ready to share their experience and lead some significant change toward community reliance and sustainability. I am grateful to have played a small part in helping them claim their future.