Reaping the Benefits of a Summer at the Food Gatherers Farm Project

1:31 PM

Author | Sangini Tolia

A few months ago, my friend Lisa Chionis (M2) messaged Morgan Bradford (M2) and me with a link to an Instagram post by @foodgatherers asking for volunteers at their annual Farm Project. The three of us had been working together on a culinary medicine elective for the past year, but because of the pandemic, we had never actually met each other in person. Volunteering at a farm sounded like a perfect way to finally spend an afternoon "in real life" together!

With Lisa Chionis, M2 (right), in our freshly weeded rows of corn on a beautiful day!

With Lisa Chionis, M2 (right), in our freshly weeded rows of corn on a beautiful day!

 

Food Gatherers is a local food bank and food rescue program in Washtenaw County, where Ann Arbor is located. The Farm Project is a collaboration between Food Gatherers, the Mindful Eating Coalition, and Bill Schmid ("Farmer Bill"), who volunteers his property as a space to grow fresh produce. Most of the produce is donated directly to Food Gatherers, and some produce is sold at his roadside stand to raise money for an additional cash donation. The project is run entirely by volunteers who plant seeds, weed, mulch, water, and harvest the crops!

On our first day, Lisa, Morgan and I showed up and got right to work on weeding the patch of corn together. As we made our way up and down the rows, we soon realized that we were the youngest volunteers there (probably by at least 20 to 30 years)! Despite the age gap, we felt right at home and had an incredible afternoon together.

Over the summer, I kept coming back to volunteer about once a week at the farm. My brother, an undergraduate at Michigan, also started joining me regularly, and this became our usual Monday evening ritual. I loved that we had this time to hang out with each other in the middle of our busy schedules. I also had a lot of fun getting to know the other "regulars" volunteering. We'd all swap stories about our lives, and I particularly loved hearing the ones about their grandkids' latest shenanigans!

© Copyright 1995-2024 Regents of the University of Michigan

I've really loved my time at the Farm this summer. I encourage you to continue your hobbies and the things that "nourish" you while in medical school. I found it quite special to be able to combine my interests in gardening and nutrition, especially in the form of an important service project that is serving our community. As of September 1, we have already donated $3,000 and over 850 pounds of fresh produce to Food Gatherers. There is plenty more work to do as this is now peak tomato season. They just keep coming, so it's going to be all hands on deck!

© Copyright 1995-2024 Regents of the University of Michigan
Media Contact MD Admissions

University of Michigan Medical School

[email protected]

734-764-6317

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories Health Lab Podcast in brackets with a background with a dark blue translucent layers over cells
Health Lab Podcast
New study finds steep increase in ED visits for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and shows persistent maternal health disparities
Findings suggest significant increase in emergency department utilization for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy over 14 year span.
close up of yellow cells and blue greenish teal background
Health Lab
An ultrasound-activated hydrogel for steady, sustained drug delivery
Researchers have developed a new composite hydrogel capable of achieving sustained, zero-order drug release using ultrasound as a trigger.
News Release
U-M awarded $3.6M to study post-surgery pain management for individuals with opioid use disorder
The University of Michigan will use a new $3.6 million federal grant to study how pain and opioids after surgery impact people with opioid use disorder, how guidelines might be adjusted to address post-surgical pain and how to prevent opioid-related harms.
A group of people in a conference room in colorful costumes
Points of Blue
Jessie Mei Dalman: Following Your Passions
Jessie Mei Dalman (she/her/hers) comes from Portola Valley, California and graduated from Stanford University in 2018.
Blurry Operating Room
Department News
New insights on persistent opioid use after surgery and genetic associations to opioid use disorder
In a recent edition of Genetic Epidemiology, Aubrey C. Annis and mentors Gonçalo R. Abecasis and Chad Brummett have new insights to share on these genetic associations in their publication, “Genetic Associations of Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery Point to OPRM1 but Not Other Opioid-Related Loci as the Main Driver of Opioid Use Disorder”.
young kid coughing
Health Lab
Whooping cough cases are on the rise: 5 things to know
Cases of a bacterial lung infection known as whooping cough, or pertussis, have been on the rise, with more than double the number of cases compared to last year.