As my AmeriCorps service year with Kansas City Community Gardens comes to a close, I’m feeling grateful for this experience and appreciative of the new memories and growth.

I want to share my thanks with Hannah, Crystal, and Claire. I admire their creativity and commitment to the Schoolyard Gardens program, and feel so fortunate to have gardened alongside such wonderful colleagues.

I’ve loved getting to know the hardworking and kind folks at Kansas City Community Gardens. Every team brings such skill and thoughtfulness to their projects and relationships throughout the Kansas City metro. I’ll miss celebrating fruit and veggie successes with you all!

My fellow KCCG AmeriCorps service members, Abby, Colleen, and Priest, made this year complete! We’ve shared such good times and meaningful learning, and I’m glad we were able to complete our service together.

Covid-19 brought challenges none of us could have imagined, and I can’t help but reflect on the ways that KCCG and SYG pivoted to carefully and continuously provide plants, seeds, and garden support to our community members. I’m ever-inspired by the seasoned and novice gardeners who rolled up their sleeves, and were open to the potential of growth and abundance during uncertain times.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the Schoolyard Gardens coordinators, volunteers, and students who I had the opportunity to garden with this year. We planted, tended, harvested, shoveled, and constructed new garden beds in the sunshine and rain. Every garden visit brought such thoughtful questions and observations through hands-on learning: marveling at insects and charting plant growth, planning harvest parties and trying new recipes, and sharing a lot of laughter and silliness.

It’s time for me to stretch and wiggle my roots as I express my heartfelt thanks with Schoolyard Gardens, KCCG, and Missouri Healthy Food AmeriCorps. Thank you for a memorable year of service and happy gardening!