NEWS

Youth travel to Richmond, VA for work mission
and are educated about the problem of hunger and nutrition

29 youth and adults from East Shore and Shoregate UMCs traveled to Richmond, VA on June 20th to begin a week-long work mission with the United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond. The group stayed at the Ginter Park UMC in the city, but worked primarily on the Shalom Farm 30 miles outside of town. The Urban Ministries of Richmond are concentrating on the problem of hunger and nutrition and are working with the Richmond Food Bank and other neighborhood agencies to provide fresh nutritious vegetables for their bodies and nutritious education for their minds.

The week was the hottest week of June ever recorded in Richmond and the team primarily made up of youth arose at 4:30 AM to go to the farm and work the morning hours to avoid the dangerous heat of the afternoon. For some young people who had never seen a sunrise, this in itself was a powerful experience.

Some of the young people worked diligently to harvest tomatoes, peppers, beets, beans, and squash, while others tilled the soil, laid an irrigation system and planted the second round of crops that would eventually make their way back to the neighborhoods that needed the fresh food most.

The combined East Shore and Shoregate work mission team are grateful to Dominic Barrett, the director of the Urban Ministry for his work in arranging the week, and to Ginter Park UMC for their hospitality.

Shalom Farms has a website and is also on Facebook where pictures and information can be found.  For those churches who enjoy creating their own mission projects, the team highly recommends The United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond and the Shalom Farms as a great place to work and learn about the plight of hunger and what can be done about it.