2019 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2019 | Page 51

Community Partner: Whitelock Community Farm
Intern: Ze Ou
Site Supervisor: Kimberly Raikes
What is Whitelock Community Farm?
Whitelock Community Farm is a vibrant open space that grows food and activates com-
munity to promote social equity in the neighborhood. We work to: Create educational,
skill building, and leadership development opportunities; Increase access to healthy,
affordable food; Foster positive community activity; and Promote dialogue about food
access, neighborhood development, and environmental justice.
• Grew produce, seeding,
planting, watering, weeding,
harvesting
• Wrote up inventory sheet and
helped run the farm stand
• Identified and fixed small
issues on the farm, like fixing
the hose, the lock, and reor-
ganizing the tool box
• Worked with Youth Workers,
shared my story with them,
and listened to their stories
Spending the summer working at Whitelock has been one of the best decisions I have made at Hop-
kins. Being able to work in a real farm in the city and share the passion about food with residents of
Reservoir Hill has reminded me how food really brings people together and will keep me fighting for
food justice in the future.
Everyday at Whitelock is more or less the same. I get to the farm, bring out the equipment if I beat ev-
eryone else, enjoy my moment of solitude, and create a list of things I should accomplish by the end
of the day. The rest of the day usually consists of seeding, watering, planting, weeding, harvesting,
etc. Like Ms. Kimberly says, “There is always something to do on a farm.” And you will be surprised
how little rest time we could actually enjoy, when we always sit down and then realize we forgot to
turn off the water on the south lot and get back to work immediately! Working on a farm can be quite
overwhelming sometimes when we’ve got a scorching sun above us, vicious weeds climbing up to our
knees, and not enough hands around the farm. It is quite often that we would start some task, leave in
the middle of it to take care of other business, and only notice what’s left undone when we’re already
packed up and am ready to call it a day. The life on a farm is definitely a constant struggle between
order and chaos, and I do like to consider ourselves as the artists of nature, converting the unknown
into fresh produce everyone cherishes and loves. People sometimes ask me what I love so much about
farming, as it seems to be a constant struggle and there is not an ending to it. My reply, reaffirmed by
my experience at Whitelock, is always that I want to introduce people to understand and work with
nature, just like those artists working in the Station North Arts District.
Another meaningful and humbling lesson I am taking away from my internship this summer is that
I can always learn something from everyone. Throughout my internship, I have had the wonderful
opportunity to talk with many people, including my supervisors, residents from Reservoir Hill, and
volunteers every Wednesday. I heard stories of a teacher trying to bring their greenhouses back to life
so children can have first-hand experience with food, a volunteer who used to work as a mechanic on
a boat and is able to fix anything, and board members when they first started the farm. The internship
opened many doors for me, and I am forever grateful about it.
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