AmeriCorps year comes to an end

It's hard to believe, but a year has come and gone since AmeriCorps VISTA Brianna Blackburn joined us.  Her last day is this Friday!  She shared these thoughts on her time with GardenShare...

"A year has come and gone, and I find my VISTA service term at GardenShare is coming to a close. I reflect back on the growth I have experienced both personally and professionally, the friends I have made in the St. Lawrence community, along with the challenges and highs that come from serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA.

"When I was first hired on at GardenShare I felt embarrassingly ill prepared for the work I was about to do. I had no idea that I was going to become an anti-hunger expert overnight. During the course of a year I not only became fully immersed in my role as an anti-hunger professional, I also became personally invested in food justice issues and the local food movement. My work as a VISTA—creating a youth education program, spreading awareness and advocacy for local food security issues, and helping strengthen the local food economy—has influenced me greatly and has made me forever passionate about local food and food justice.

"Enduring some of the hardships that come from being an AmeriCorps VISTA and living on a humbling bi-weekly stipend can really make for a challenging and growing experience. Seeing the change made in the community through my role at GardenShare has made my work as a VISTA so worthwhile. The most gratifying of all my experiences at GardenShare has been developing a youth education program built on nutrition and food justice lessons. I had the wonderful opportunity to bring my program into several local classrooms. By far the most rewarding and impactful moments during my year at GardenShare was being approached by a student after our discussion on local food systems and being thanked “for telling us about everything at a young age so we can help the future.”

"As I prepare to continue my AmeriCorps journey, this time as a VISTA Leader working on different social justice issues, I find myself looking into ways I can contribute and implement what I have learned serving at GardenShare to help build a stronger local food system in Honolulu where I will be calling home for the next year. Thank you to the wonderful team at GardenShare for this amazing experience and thank you for the warm hospitality shown to me by the St. Lawrence community. The North Country will forever hold a piece of my heart."