Yay farming!

Today was a work day for us. We split into groups and worked at several different community gardens and farms. When we stopped at a grocery store on the way to our garden, one of our youth wisely noted the difference in cost between the produce and a candy bar (the produce was three times as expensive as the candy). Community gardens help people in so-called food deserts gain access to nutritious food at a reasonable cost (or sometimes even for free). Our work in the gardens was a way we could contribute to meeting the needs of hungry people in Philadelphia. 

Some of us weeded flower/vegetable beds. Others of us transplanted seedlings into larger pots for planting in the fall (they'll go into a greenhouse until then. It's been fun getting our hands dirty and caring for God's creation.

Here's a picture of one of the beautiful gardens:

And here is Pastor Emily's crew hard at work:

After our work, we took the subway to Old City and walked around Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell. We were asked to think about what our country's founders would have done about the issue of food insecurity. What can we do about it back home in Charlotte?

After dinner and showers (yay!), we ran up the steps of the art museum and posed for a picture with "Rocky."

Since the theme of this week is food sustainability and healthy eating, we have been eating well! YouthWorks has partnered with a local co-op, so all of our food is local, organic, or both. Never before have we eaten so much kale! The kids are craving a good, greasy Philly cheesesteak, to say the least. We'll see what we can do...

God is good. Like the gardens in which we worked today, our faith is growing, and the light of Christ overflows from the hearts of our youth. Be proud of them!!