GO NOLA--Day 2

We awoke Monday morning at 5:30am, excited and ready to work on what will become the largest edible garden in the United States!

Each morning starts with a BIG breakfast--eggs, bacon, sausage, grits (we're in the South), fruit and some sort of starch--pancakes, french toast, biscuits in gravy.  Needless to say, our energy reserves were refueled each morning!



And, for those that use coffee and tea as their morning "go juice"--this was a popular spot!



Each morning Alicia assisted Craig in recapping the Top 5 from the prior day.  After our "loud morning song", we sang a worship song before heading for the buses and departing for the day.  However, Monday morning was special as the head of each ministry that Crossroads Church supports and encourages came and spoke to our group.

Pastor Lutor was an inspiration Sunday morning at service and again Monday morning.  He shared what happened to his family during Katrina and the damge the church sustained.  He and his family moved to TX while the church was being rebuilt and he fulfilled a life-long passion and started a new church.  Three years later, when the FABC was ready to resume service, he and his family relocated back to New Orleans.

The vision of Habitat for Humanity is to "provide a world where everyone has a decent place to live".  Potential homeowners are selected based on their need, commitment to the program and ability to repay the loan.  Once selected, a homeowner invests 350+ hours of sweat equity into building a Habitat home.  Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses alongside our homeowner partner families.  Prior to Katrina, the New Orleans chapter built 8 - 10 houses, now Habitat builds over 100 homes in the area annually. 

Aaron of FirstLine Charter Schools passionately describes the schools to a captive audience.  From FirstLine schools website, "Charter schools are public schools of choice, meaning that families choose them for their children. They operate with freedom from some of the regulations that are imposed upon district schools. Charter schools are accountable for the same academic results as traditional district schools, and for upholding the promises made in their charters. They must demonstrate performance in the areas of academic achievement, financial management, and organizational stability. If a charter school does not meet performance goals, it may be closed."

Per Cafe Reconcile website: "Café Reconcile is a nonprofit restaurant that uses innovative strategies to provide life skills and job training to youth from at-risk communities in the New Orleans area. Since the restaurant opened in 2000, more than 600 young people (ages 16-22) have successfully completed the program and moved into permanent jobs in New Orleans’ food service industry. Focusing on the kind of “soul food” for which New Orleans is known, the restaurant has earned high praise from local and national critics"

The mission of "Roots of Music" per their website: "The Roots of Music is dedicated to supporting, promoting, teaching and protecting at-risk youth through music education, academic support, and mentorship, while preserving and promoting the New Orleans musical heritage"

After learning more about the ministries that Crossroads partners with in New Orleans, we boarded our 5 buses and all 220 volunteers headed to the Arthur Ashe Charter School to beautify the grounds of their new school.

We divided into groups to complete the tasks assigned to us.  A small number of volunteers assisted with the digging, mulching and planting of the Rainbow Garden.

Others worked on removing sod, so that a garden could be planted.

The remaining group, most of the 220, worked on clearing weeds from what will become the largest Edible Schoolyard in the United States.  The garden is based on the Edible Schoolyard founded in Berkley, CA at Martin Luther King Jr. MS.  Here's the link to read their story and the inspiration behind the Edible Schoolyard in New Orleans:
http://edibleschoolyard.org/our-story

Many hands should make light work, but the weeds are endless!  We worked tirelessly for almost 6 hours trying to remove all the clumps of grass and weeds from the new Edible Schoolyard.  We encountered many fire ants and I don't think anyone escaped their bites!  Thankfully light rain showers provided a little relief from the heat and helped to soften the soil.

Each day, Subway provided a meal for all of our volunteers!  We enjoyed a 6" sub, chips and cookie.  Lunch time was a welcome break all week.  Thanks Subway!

Lunch time!

With the other projects complete, volunteers entered our area to help remove weeds.

Throughout the day we were encouraged to drink water and drink more water and then drink some more water.  Staying hydrated was important for all of us!

After the weeds were elminated, well mostly, sunflower seeds were sown into the Edible Schoolyard.  The soil has a high concentration of lead and the sunflowers will help to amend the soil and prepare the garden for the seeds to be planted next fall.

The message on the back of the Edible Schoolyard TShirts--Michelle and I each happily purchased one to support the school.  Monday was challenging, sweat dripping down into my eyes, ants biting often, dirt in places it shouldn't be, but in spite of the obstacles, it was incredibly rewarding to be a part of something so big.  We literally planted the seeds of these children's future...what an incredible feeling!