I’ve been looking for a summer volunteer activity that I can do with a 4 and a 6-year-old and through the Cincinnati United Way website, I found the Giving Fields. The Giving Fields are the Freestore/Foodbank local food supplier (think farm to table). They supply the local food banks with fresh fruits and vegetables and operate almost completely through volunteers (there is only one employee there).
Picking vegetables seemed like something the boys and I could do together so we spent 3 hours doing just that. We picked green beans, tomatoes, squash and zucchini. It was such a cool experience! The boys got to help (although Alan wasn’t into it as much as Lucas was) and to see where their food comes from. As vegans, this is even more important for us! I explained that we were helping needy families eat healthy. The lone employee let the boys take pictures on their huge tractors and they were in heaven.
The Giving Fields accommodates both individuals and company groups (there were a couple of company groups there at the same time as us).
It was a really great experience, easy for little hands to do and (hopefully) makes the connection for the boys of where our food comes from and that it’s important to help others. I plan on returning with the boys and with Dennis.
My connection to the Giving Fields was through Tawanda Rollins (trollins@freestorefoodbank.org) in case you are interested in volunteering there.
Te amo!