A December 2006 Reflection
By Jill Collet, Farm Manager

Jill Collet, a biomedical engineering graduate of the University of Cincinnati, arrived at the Farm on June 12 to serve as manager.

When, as a new Farm manager, I looked at the Farm’s schedule of groups back in June, something struck me: all of the time off! The Farm hosts groups about 25 weeks in a year, which means that the Farm managers are left with about 27 weeks off. As I realized that over half of the year was considered off weeks, I started to wonder what a Farm manager does with this time. 

Considering my own reaction, it only makes sense when family and friends ask, “So, what exactly do you do when there are no volunteers at the Farm?” I learned quickly that an off week at the farm should not be mistaken with time off. While that time is generally more relaxed and the work is fit into the schedules of the Farm managers, there is always something to do, clean, or fix, and that’s after we respond to the needs of the local community.

December has been a perfect example of the work we do during the off-weeks at the Farm. Nov. 25 marked the departure of our final group for 2006 and, after taking some time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, we have been going non-stop ever since. 

Julie, Laura and I have spent the majority of our days in Tollesboro at Lending a Helping Hand, a food pantry located in an old high-school gym there. The pantry serves approximately 130 families bi-weekly by distributing boxes of food to those in need. They also operate a second-hand clothing store that gives clothing and household items free of charge. 

As with many agencies, the holidays are the busiest time of the year for the Lending a Helping Hand Food Pantry. For Thanksgiving, over 220 boxes of food were handed out, and a larger turn out is expected for the Christmas distribution on December 15. The three of us have been a consistent presence at the pantry over the past weeks—with the majority of our time spent in their clothing store sorting, hanging, folding and organizing merchandise in the store to make the clients’ shopping experience more enjoyable. We have helped fill boxes of food and prepare the facility for what has historically been its busiest day of the year.

Besides working at the food pantry, we have helped Joe Grosek prepare for Project Merry Christmas by collecting toys and gifts. This year over 250 food vouchers and 260 children’s toys will be given to those in need for Project Merry Christmas. We are also preparing the Farm for our Project Merry Christmas guests/volunteers and helping out at the Christian Community Center. So, while on paper it appears a lot of our time is “free time,” we stay busy serving where we are needed on a continual basis.