Tina has always enjoyed planting vegetables, gently tending them and anticipating the harvest. Like many of us, Tina had a little more time on her hands as a result of the pandemic and the cancelation of events and the closure of businesses. With more time at home and support of MVA staff, Tina decided to pursue her passion for gardening by expanding her garden to include tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, eggplant and an array of fresh herbs, including chocolate mint.

Tina has been harvesting her produce over the summer and has shared it with her roommates and staff. Due to the warm weather this summer, she has been spending additional time watering the garden to ensure that her garden continues to grow and produce quality produce. Tina says that it’s a lot of work but she has enjoyed the distraction as she anticipates all the things she will be doing once the pandemic is over, businesses are open and activities are available once again.

When asked what her favorite vegetable is, she said without hesitation, “tomatoes”! When brought to her attention that tomatoes are actually a fruit, she did not hesitate to state that tomatoes are her favorite, regardless of whether they are a fruit or a vegetable. Once she has more than enough tomatoes to eat, she is looking for recipes to prepare all things tomatoes, including tomato sauce.

This is her first time growing mint. She is looking forward to using it in hot chocolate and maybe even as a topping on ice cream. Tina said “gardening makes me feel happy because everything’s growing. I’ve been eating my lettuce like a little rabbit. My carrots were delicious.”

At MVA we are always looking for more opportunities for the people in our services to have new experiences. It’s hard to know what you’re interested in, if you haven’t had the chance to experience it. We are looking for volunteers willing to share their talents and beloved pets with people in our Day Support Activities (DSA) program. Do you sing or play an instrument? Our music group would be thrilled to hear your songs. Are you an artist? Our crafts group would love to see your work or have you lead an activity. Do you have a friendly pet or live on a farm or keep bees? Our animal-lovers group would love to meet them. The sky is the limit – sports, cooking, knitting, bongos, Aboriginal culture and the didgeridoo, just to name a few. Our DSA program is also interested in new places to go and activities to explore. Send your ideas our way at the email address below.

If behind-the-scenes work is more your thing, we could use help with activity prep or researching places to go and people to see. Visits could be one time or more and just like the people we support, we want these opportunities to be meaningful to our volunteers. This is a real opportunity to give a little of your time and talent and to make a huge difference in someone’s life. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of these volunteer opportunities at MVA.

Anyone interested in learning more, please contact Janice Allen, DSA Coordinator at [email protected]  or by phone at 971-612-3375.

Thank you for your continued support as we weather the pandemic. Just like all of you, we at MVA are looking forward to moving beyond the virus and to the new normal. Finally, to all the gardeners out there, we hope that you have a bountiful harvest. We are blessed to live where the bounty is plentiful and the opportunities for growth are endless.