The Dirt on Roots Farm

VOLUNTEERS MAKE ROOTS FARM WORK

BY MEREDITH BOWER

In 2022, from March to November, 1,412 volunteers put in more than 2,404 hours at Roots Farm assisting Director Sharon Hood and Chef Mallory Staley with planting, weeding, hauling, and harvesting; caring for the chickens and turkeys; preserving honey, making jam, and processing tomatoes and peppers. The work is not easy, so why do the volunteers keep sprouting up on a regular basis?

On any given day throughout the spring, summer, and fall, students, parents, alumni, and faculty and staff can be found working in the fields and in the barn helping Hood with bushels of tasks. Among the reasons they return is because she is intentional about the chores she assigns to the students and adults. “One thing I won’t do is bring people out here to weed. They have to do something very meaningful, and I look for what they are good at,” Hood says, explaining how she draws on her teaching skills. “I always find what kids and adults like. Some are detailed workers, and others are like a wrecking crew. Then, I assign jobs they will find enjoyable. It’s like being in the classroom and figuring out what works.”

In late summer when everything seems to ripen at once, the rows of produce are filled with the buzzing of bees and chatter of the volunteers working in tandem on either side of the lanes. Friendships begin to grow among the crops as her helpers discover what they have in common. Hood says the vibe is like a quilting bee. “While you are doing your task, you end up talking about all kinds of things. As I go down the tomato lanes, I hear ‘Who’s your advisor?’ ‘Do this, don’t do that.’ The kids are mentoring and don’t even know it,” Hood notes. “It’s something that can’t be replaced by technology.”

Maxwell Jackson ’27 and Landon Tamaddon ’26 wash and prepare apples for Roots Farm spple jam.

Becoming hooked on helping at Roots is not uncommon for many volunteers. Grace Jackson ’95 was first introduced to Roots through her son’s Middle School Farm to Fork class. After observing his growth and passion for Roots, she began to volunteer and soon was at the farm every day, harvesting, washing, weighing, and bagging the produce. Jackson’s enthusiasm for the farm matches that of her children and she appreciates how Roots connects McDonogh’s vision, purpose, and excellent curriculum. “We have an incredible learning opportunity on our campus in the life lessons that teach compassion, integrity, and character,” she says.

Each June, employees from Silberstein Insurance Group, owned by Trustee Richard Silberstein ’77, spend the day doing community service at the farm. “It is a fan favorite of our team who love the mission of Roots and working together outside,” Silberstein says. “They are doing community service, but Farmer Hood also teaches them to better understand the farm ecosystem and sustainable farming.” This year, they planted butternut squash that was later harvested by Lower School volunteer families and donated to the Maryland Food Bank. Similarly, McDonogh’s Business Office looks forward to their biannual volunteer days not only for team-building but also as a handson way to support the operation.

Freshman volunteers Aanya Korgaonkar (left) and Onyeka Nwulia pick potatoes.

The appeal of helping at Roots is ageless. On an early Saturday morning in late October while the swim team dove in to help put the farm to bed for the winter, another group of student volunteers was assisting with an Admissions event for preschoolers and their families. As the event came to a close, one little boy who was more interested in what the older kids were doing than the farm games, picked up a small bale of hay to help the swimmers with their tasks.

“Roots Farm brings out the best in people,” Hood says, adding, “Volunteers make it possible for the farm to operate.”