Volunteer Event! Kicking It With The Kids

It's time to get out there with the kids at the West End House!

On Wednesday, September 23 from 5-7pm, OYFP will be at the West End House in Allston, playing games in their sweet gym (see left) or unleashing our creative spirits in the art studio with the grade schoolers at WEH.

Volunteers can spend their time in the gym, in the studio, or mix it up and spend an hour in each.

And for those of you who can't get swing by at 5, feel free to come by at 6 for the last hour -- it'll be a great time! To make sure volunteers can really interact with the children, we're capping the number of volunteers at 15. Please email David at david.dsilva@oyfp.org to claim your spot.

Bring your gym shoes and your smocks and we'll see you there!

Picture courtesy of the West End House

PSA for CSA

Ah yes, that beautiful springtime Boston weather--when it's 90 degrees and sunny one day, yet 50 degrees and rainy the next. But it is at least spring, when April showers bring May farmers' markets (or I think that's the saying).

That's right, farmers' markets are right around the corner! And as we keep hearing about the salmonella scares in our food supply--sometimes ones that exist for years before the public finally learns about them, it's become increasingly apparent that knowing exactly where our food comes from is imperative to our well being. Worse, recent reports suggest that the H1N1 ("swine") flu may have derived from U.S. factory pig farms in the late 1990s; which if you have read Michael Pollan's, Omnivore's Dilemma, you know those are not fun places to be (see Chapter 11: The Animals).

But thankfully, and increasingly, farmers' markets (as great as they are) are not the only means to finding local, fresh, and clean produce. Behold the concept of CSA (Community-supported Agriculture). Before the season begins (read: now), consumers sign up to receive a "share" of the produce that is grown. Often times this will mean a box of produce that you can pick up each week and bring home. As this season progresses, different items will comprise your share. For example, in my CSA, we're expecting lettuce and tomatoes in June among other things, and onions and potatoes in October.

I don't want to give a full defense for CSA here--it would take too long and become boring, but I do want to point out a couple highlights: 1) You know where your food is coming from; 2) Your food will be fresh and clean (albeit not of dirt); 3) You will support your local economy; 4) Quite possibly meet a few farmers; 5) Stop spending so much time (and money) in supermarkets. Of course, there's one small downside, but it seems minor to all the benefits in comparison.

So if you want to sign up, I suggest you move quickly as the growing season approaches. Stillman's Farm, Allendale Farm, and Silverbrook Farms are all options I've heard of several times--but just do a quick search and you'll be able to find many more.

And if you aren't quite sold on this whole local, sustainable thing, but want to learn more, BU is hosting quite a number of events and talks this Friday and Saturday. If you can't make that, I suggest at least picking up a copy of King Corn--it's well worth the hour and a half.

And lastly if all of this has been old news, let us know your favorite farmers' markets in the Boston area, and/or the CSA you belong to. And maybe more importantly, your strategy for dealing with that last bit of kale :)

down:2:earth expo

This weekend at the Hynes Convention Center is the down:2:earth expo, "an exploration into sustainable living." Over three days, nonprofits, as well as small, local, and large businesses will set up shop, "exploring how we can live well for ourselves and our planet."

And if that isn't enough to make you want to head down to Boylston St., there looks to be an array of interesting volunteer opportunities. I'll be heading in on Friday for the "Local Bites" event -- if you end up attending, leave us a comment below about what stood out to you!

And don't forget about finding your soul mate

Clearly CNN had been reading John's post from yesterday because they had their own little addition to the benefits of volunteering: finding your soul mate.

Now, I don't want to get down into the analysis of why this may or may not be true--I didn't cover that in Bio 101 and I didn't take any psychology courses, but who knows, maybe there's something to it. What do you think?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/03/24/find.love.while.volunteering/index.html?eref=ib_topstories

Too busy to volunteer?

I had the opportunity to speak to a few people at our Strikes For Shelter event on their thoughts about volunteering; what had brought them to the event, why they volunteered, or conversely (and maybe more importantly), what kept them from volunteering.

It's no surprise that volunteering in Boston isn't the strongest--new data shows that fact. So what is it that keeps people away?

Time. That's the most common lament, that we simply don't have enough time. Certainly, work, school, significant others, friends, etc. all take legitimate time from our schedule and we can't and don't want to give those things up. As one person said, "I don't have the time, but I'll make the time [for things I shouldn't be doing]." And I'm guilty as the next person in making some things priorities that probably shouldn't be--do I really need to catch the season of Top Chef? Do I really care about that obscure college basketball game? Even one opportunity I recently learned about would be a great way to start the weekend before meeting up with friends on a Friday night.

Passion. Sometimes not having an issue to rally around keeps people at bay. Truthfully, if you really want to participate in something, the barriers don't seem as big. But not being focused on one issue can also be an asset in volunteering. There are so many organizations that need help and are looking for it, so if you don't have one issue you really care about, take the opportunity to involve yourself in a broad swath of nonprofits--from tutoring students to spending time with senior citizens. Some organizations look for a long term commitment, but not all. And who knows, maybe you will find that cause that really gets you going.

Opportunities. And sometimes you have the time, and you have the desire, but volunteering still doesn't happen. For me, I've struggled finding chances to get involved even though I've made time and knew what I wanted to get involved in. There are resources however (these are just a sampling): Boston Cares is a nonprofit which coordinates willing volunteers with an assortment of projects across Boston. Idealist.org is also another resource with a ton of information and opportunities from across the nation. And of course, OYFP can be a resource to you as well: Coming up on March 5, a number of organizations will get together to network and discuss their volunteer opportunities at the Spirit of Service event. But don't forget about your friends--and don't assume that because they don't talk about volunteering, they aren't doing it. Ask around--see what people are doing and tag along. And if your immediate circle of friends isn't actively involved, ask friends of friends, people at work, and family. Chances are you'll come into contact with someone who volunteers and they will be an excellent resource for opportunities you can become a part of.

So, that's enough from me. But what about you? Are you volunteering? If so, what's gotten you involved, and what's keeping you there? And if not, what's stopping you? Is it one of the three reasons above, or is it something else? Either way, let us know by leaving a comment--we'd like to hear from you.

Have a nice weekend!