We were delighted to welcome Abigail Lazarowski to our team in late March. She came 3000 miles to be with us this spring, working under the mentorship of Land Care Coordinator Maggie Mahle and Growing Groceries Coordinator Cary Peterson!
Abigail hails from Vermont, and joins us for the 2014 growing season as our Community Garden Leadership apprentice. She arrived from the East Coast just over a month ago, and she’s already demonstrated her competence, energy, and team spirit.
“I really love it here,” Abigail said. “This apprenticeship drew me—it really fit exactly the direction I was hoping to move into with my work in growing food.”
When asked how her interest in gardening began, Abigail said she thinks of her father. “My dad had a vegetable garden. He learned from his grandfather, and I spent time with him in the garden when I was little.” In high school and college, that interest grew alongside a desire to help the environment and live closer to the world. “Once I started [organic gardening],” she said, “it felt like the most important thing to do.”
Abigail led an expressive art therapy group as a student at Bard, in New York’s Hudson Valley, and said she loves making art in community as a means of helping and connecting people. She’s looking forward to connecting with people here, too, when her fellow South Whidbey garden interns arrive. “I’m really looking forward to being in this program with them,” she said, “and to helping each other with mutual support in one another’s gardens.” The apprentices, who will work in gardens around South Whidbey, will collaborate throughout the season.
“I’m excited about expanding and deepening my knowledge of small scale vegetable growing,” Abigail said. “I’m also looking forward to learning more about how gardeners can feed their community and help those in need.”
During our interview, Abigail expressed excitement about our regular Thursday work parties, which she now leads, and a hope that others will join in that weekly volunteer effort. All are welcome! Thursday gardening currently takes place between noon and four in the Westgarden at Chinook, and a meal is always shared. To learn more, contact Abigail!