Eat your humble (blueberry) pie
I waited in line for the stream of 100 children from the Jr. Youth Center and Columbus Bi-Lingual Academy entering the white tent to load their paper plates with vegetables prepared by a Ohio State University chef. As a part of Highland Youth Garden's (HYG) mission to increase fresh fruit and vegetable access in the Hilltop community of Columbus, OH, events like this increase healthy food exposure to low-income children.
As a volunteer, I am in charge of serving the berries.
"What is that? A small girl asks pointing at a white mixing bowl of blue spheres.
Her course hair is in two braids held by pink hair bobbles. She picks one up in her hand and holds it up to the sunlight. Its skin transforms from chalky to dark and shiny with the warmth of her fingers. She glances at me questioning this foreign object.
"It's a blueberry," I respond.
"Oh, I've never seen a blueberry before," she says.
A blueberry? I recall what seems like the hundreds of times I've seen and ate blueberries. I know them in various ways. Handpicking them from bushes in my backyard, using them in almost every family dessert including ice cream and pies are some of my favorite memories.
"Violet, you're turning violet!"
Even Roald Dahl's euphoria, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, spotlights the sweet berry as bratty Violet Beauregarde turned into a giant blue ball for indulging in the Three Course Dinner chewing gum.
These are my blueberry experiences. The memories flashed across my mind as the small girl popped the blueberry into her mouth. She chewed a couple times and smiled as it burst open revealing her purple-stained teeth. I laughed.
The first-times
How beautiful it is to witness people's 'first-times.' Especially when those first-times bring light to a whole new meaning to what once was understood. I witnessed a small miracle in the small girl's interaction with a blueberry. I saw her grow, right there, in that garden along with the red Zinnias. I also met my privilege face to face for the first time.
Throughout the course of this event at HYG, other children tried kohlrabi and greens for the first time. The took home vegetables from the garden to their mothers for the first time. They worked with 'Grandma', the elderly volunteer at HYG for the first time. They planted potatoes for the first time. They watered herbs for the first time.
Importance of Education
As all of these things were occurring simultaneously and I felt in some minuscule way that I was changing the world. That is when HYG taught me these 3 things:
For the kids, for our planet, and for our selves, advocate for social change through food!
As a volunteer, I am in charge of serving the berries.
"What is that? A small girl asks pointing at a white mixing bowl of blue spheres.
Her course hair is in two braids held by pink hair bobbles. She picks one up in her hand and holds it up to the sunlight. Its skin transforms from chalky to dark and shiny with the warmth of her fingers. She glances at me questioning this foreign object.
"It's a blueberry," I respond.
"Oh, I've never seen a blueberry before," she says.
"Violet, you're turning violet!"
Even Roald Dahl's euphoria, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, spotlights the sweet berry as bratty Violet Beauregarde turned into a giant blue ball for indulging in the Three Course Dinner chewing gum.
These are my blueberry experiences. The memories flashed across my mind as the small girl popped the blueberry into her mouth. She chewed a couple times and smiled as it burst open revealing her purple-stained teeth. I laughed.
The first-times
How beautiful it is to witness people's 'first-times.' Especially when those first-times bring light to a whole new meaning to what once was understood. I witnessed a small miracle in the small girl's interaction with a blueberry. I saw her grow, right there, in that garden along with the red Zinnias. I also met my privilege face to face for the first time.
Throughout the course of this event at HYG, other children tried kohlrabi and greens for the first time. The took home vegetables from the garden to their mothers for the first time. They worked with 'Grandma', the elderly volunteer at HYG for the first time. They planted potatoes for the first time. They watered herbs for the first time.
Importance of Education
As all of these things were occurring simultaneously and I felt in some minuscule way that I was changing the world. That is when HYG taught me these 3 things:
- The children had the privilege to dream. The children shared stories about their families and dreams they had to be doctors, lawyers, fireman, and nurses. In each garden task they accomplished I felt their energy and motivation to do more, to learn more.
- A fight broke out as two boys fought over a small Japanese eggplant, but Grandma stepped in. She bent down in her long pink patterned skirt and matching headband to pluck another eggplant from the ground. She handed the boy eggplant and equality. The garden provided everything they needed in that moment...it provided enough. it gave these boys equal opportunity ultimately cultivating peace and compromise.
- "Why don't I have these veggies often?" a young curly-haired girl piped. She wore tiny overalls and bare feet with chipped painted toenails. She was in her element sitting there in the soil. I held her hand and hot tears welled up in my eyes. I wanted to tell her that food is a human right, but she has been taken advantage of. I wanted to assure her that in a country like America, she would have access to these vegetables because healthy food is not an option, it's a necessity.
For the kids, for our planet, and for our selves, advocate for social change through food!
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