A couple of weekends ago, a group of my fellow Earth Lodger’s and I made our first visit to the William Byrd Community House (WBCH), located right off of Cary Street in Richmond. I had heard of the organization through an information meeting we went to last semester put on by the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement here at UR, but had no idea the scope of the organization’s impact in the community it serves. Directly serving tens, if not hundreds, of low-income families in the Richmond area, the house has programs ranging from a kindergarten class and an open library to food assistance. One of their programs that I found particularly interesting was a farmer’s market they hold every year where people from the surrounding area can come to buy organic food products from a variety of vendors. The part that I found intriguing was that community members on food stamps can use them at the market, and can even trade them in for tokens, the same ones given to community members paying with a credit card, so no one has to know who is or is not on food stamps.
Needless to say, we were eager to help. They presented us with a variety of projects that could use some work, including: organizing discarded windows for the construction of a green house, building compost using donated wood, and pulling weeds from the community house garden. Feeling less than confident about my construction skills, I decided to go with the weeding. But little did I know how complicated pulling weeds could be! A small group of about 6 of us took on what was to become our nemesis for the day, a weed known as Bermuda grass (see it here: http://westexasgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bermuda-wars-4.jpg?w=300). We learned from Matt, an intern at the (WBCH), that the job wasn’t as simple as just yanking the weeds out of the ground. The roots of the weed we were attempting to eradicate are high in starch and even if just the smallest piece is left in the ground, an entirely new plant will grow. So now knowing that just pulling off pieces of the weed was futile, we had to use garden rakes to get under the plants to remove each individual weed, being carefully not to break off small fragments. Another one of their options that I did not mention before was that community members can reserve a plot in the very garden I was helping rid of weeds. Never did I think I would learn so much about plants and the environment while helping the community!
This then got me thinking about the WBCH’s programs and its mission. With each of its programs the goal is to bring the people they help to self-sufficiency, but with options such as obtaining a garden plot and attending a farmer’s market, I realized that the WBCH is developing much more than just this. It is also helping develop an understanding of the environment and a sense of community and place in those that it serves. I think I can speak for everyone that went that we were very impressed with the entire organization, and definitely do not want to make this the last time we visit to lend a helping hand (or 32 hands!). If you want to learn more about the WBCH and its programs, visit their site here at: http://www.wbch.org/wp/?page_id=52. I encourage everyone to go out and see what their all about!