Growing Together Detroit

One of our first projects together was building a fence to protect the vegetables from rabbits. Said and done! Also we had our farewell BBQ with Chava and Pastor David from Integrity International. We will miss being here! It was a pleasure and a honor working at Eden Gardens!

Tuesday we took the morning off from Eden Gardens and visited the Detroit Institute of Arts where we were able to see the amazing Diego Rivera mural and explored beautiful pieces by artists such as Caravaggio, Van Gogh, Monet, and Cézanne. After lunch we had an informative learning session with Tee from Keep Growing Detroit about food justice, the history of Detroit, and the power in food in liberation. In addition, we talked with Aaron Appel from Brilliant Detroit about school systems in the US and Detroit and the struggled after the White Flight pulled tax money and students from the city. Both sessions were amazing!

First things first: service at Eden Gardens! After working on our special project, we went to the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. We have had a terrific dinner with peers and the chance to really engage with the muslim community! Their generosity and hospitality will stick with us.

It has been a wonderful first week! Our volunteers are now spending time in the suburbs with local residents and experiencing another side of the Detroit area community. After our service on Friday, we went to Belle Isle and spent a couple hours at the beach!

Today we started back at Eden Gardens with some weeding, planting kale and broccoli, harvesting garlic, and finished with clearing weeds and trees from lots in the area. After we had an amazing tour at the Holocaust Memorial Center and even had the privilege of meeting an amazing survivor, Clara!