If you were to pull into the Mango House parking lot at 8:00 on Wednesday morning, you would see a group of people sitting on the curb, waiting. They wear colorful clothing and hats, and each has a small container filled with delicious food for lunch. If you were to wait a few more minutes, you would see Siri, one of Project Worthmore’s community navigators, approach and cheerfully call out, “Good morning!”. They would pile into a 15 passenger van and begin the journey to Delaney Farm.
Entering Delaney Farm is like finding a sanctuary in the middle of the city. The sky opens up above you and the air smells clean and fresh. The group exits the van and heads into the barn. Each person picks a pair of gloves and drops off their bags. Together, they walk to the fields to begin their day of work.
Project Worthmore has purchased 15 shares from Delaney Farm. We have a group from our community who work on the land once a week and are able to bring home fresh vegetables for their families.
The group starts on one end of a large onion field. They work their way down, pulling weeds and spreading hay to protect the bulbs. They work efficiently and you get the sense that they are comfortable experts when it comes to farming. Many of them tended their own fields in Burma before they were chased from their land by Burmese soldiers. As they settle into life in American, they come to this pasture and find a place of safety and peace.
As they finish weeding the field, one of Delaney Farm’s staff comes out and announces that it’s time for the harvest. They walk back to the barn and take in the abundance of food. Numerous buckets are labeled with the name of the vegetable and how many to take. They walk around with their bags and excitedly chatter about what they can cook with each item.
Finally, it is time for lunch. Everyone gathers around a picnic table and freshly cooked rice is passed out. Each person produces their Tupperware container of curry and the feast begins. Everything is shared and everyone eats until they are full.
Walking back to the van, I can’t help but think about what this group has lived through, and how here, at Delaney, they have found a safe place. “This is our going home song!” Siri announces as he raises the volume on the radio. An upbeat tune plays from the speakers and the group sways together to the melody.
