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My name is Alice and this summer I get to help feed my community. I have lived the vast majority of my life in Kitsap County on rocky beaches, thick forested trails and surrounded by plenty of farm land. Through my summer service as an AmeriCorp VISTA serving with the Kitsap Conservation District, I have been given an opportunity for new ways to experience, care of and learn about the community that raised me. I was excited about this opportunity not just for the ability to live rent free at my parents house, but because it combined some crucial aspects of my recent undergraduate education. It was so clear to everyone around me that the position was sent to me by two separate classmates. In June, I completed my degree in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development with a minor in Food Security and Policy. Conservation districts play a crucial role in the land use decisions that affect the projects and decisions of planning departments. A conservation district with a sustainability focused farm and priorities of food justice hit all of my boxes.

My first two days of service did not disappoint, despite the gloomy weather. We started with a tour of the district and ended at the farm with its rows of produce, carefully placed irrigation system, sheds of tools (some familiar, many foreign), and a prop house full of plant starts. Farm tasks included lots of weeding, transplanting, seeding for germination, washing crates, and of course picking the first ripe cherry tomatoes for an insightful lunch break with the others working/serving at the district. I ended my second day of service with a beautiful roasted beet salad, beets sourced from the farm.