This is a space for audience members to share their experiences volunteering with an organization they connected with through Other Means.
Our first entry is from Yoon Young Hur, who attended our May reading where she was introduced to the Hester Street Collaborative.
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On a sunny Saturday afternoon, I took a small trip to the lower east side of New York to join the “dirt days” organized by Hester Street Collaborative. What I found on East Broadway next to a public school was a group of young students and volunteers surrounded by herbs, fruit trees, and vegetables plants. I quickly jumped in to this small paradise. As we were cleaning up the grout for a mosaic, rolling a large rainwater tank, applying soybean sealant to redwood, giving water to an upside down tomato plant and picking cherries, many local residents who were just passing by just stopped and observed the place with curiosity. I was quite sure that the place simply attracted people because of the sincerity and energy that were put in the garden. It was also nice to hear from Anne, the director of HSC, that the project was part of the school curriculum so that students were actively involved in the design-build process for nearly three years. For me, this meant that the students and the garden sort of grew together and that such time allowed more moments of connection and contribution to the place. It was good to see that things did not have to be so rushed and forced. Students were probably returning to the garden and discovering something new everyday, whether that is an inch growth of a basil plant, or a recycled redwood shed. Perhaps, they are dreaming about what they will build together or grow together now.
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If you have been to a reading and since gotten involved with an organization you met there please send us your story at othermeansreadingseriesatgmaildotcom.
Other Means Reading Series 