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St. Mike's garden grows food, friendships

The Colchester Sun - 6/1/2017

Tucked away down a dirt path and enclosed by greenery, many hands were at work last Thursday morning as the roots were set for potatoes, onions and friendships at the St. Michael's College garden.

The site, located behind the college's Pomerleau Alumni Center, is isolated from the rest of campus, creating a peaceful and welcoming oasis for students, food-based community organizations and military veterans to get their hands dirty, Vermont Veteran Affairs officials said.

For veterans, the experience provides a therapeutic opportunity to get out of the house and into nature, VA peer support specialist and veteran Josh Gerasimof said.

"We're growing vegetables, but people's self esteem is growing, their health is growing, their connection to the community is growing," he said.

In its second year, the Veterans Garden Initiative is collaboration between the VA, St. Michael's Garden Program and Military Community Services, Vermont Community Network and Helping and Nurturing Diverse Seniors, or HANDS in the Dirt Program.

Representatives from all groups agreed there's something special about not only growing food together, but eating it, too.

For some veterans, gardening is a new learning experience; for others, it's retrieved memory.

"It's too much in my blood, I guess," Navy veteran Ed Maxfield said, handing off a bag of potatoes ready for planting.

Reminiscing on his upbringing as the son of two homesteaders in Waterville, the disabled veteran said being out in the garden last summer helped him through a long lasting "awful bout of depression."

"Nature can teach you a lot of things," he said.

All last winter, Maxfield continuously asked when it'd be garden season again at St. Michael's, Gerasimof said.

Maxfield now has a raised bed of zucchini waiting at home, too.

Besides his love for nature, Maxfield said he joined in on the community activity to give back.

Attentively listening to instructions from college garden manager Kristyn Achilich and garden expert Charlie Nardozzi, Maxfield slowly maneuvered around the plots last week.

HANDS executive director Megan Humphrey, who met Maxfield before he arrived at the garden last summer, looked on in amazement at how much the experience has opened him up to conversing with those around him.

For veterans to have positive encounters similar to Maxfield's, all it takes is saying "yes," Gerasimof said.

Doing so can be difficult for some veterans, though, he continued. After being wounded in the military and handed a disability check, "It's really easy to accept that check and sit on the couch," Gerasimof said.

That's why he encourages veterans to discover their goals and determine what drives them.

This past February, following the garden's first year, Gerasimof received a call from one of the involved veterans. The man was keeping up with his renewed hobby by growing lettuce and beets in his basement.

Astounded, Gerasimof said this is just one story that unveils veterans' drive and dedication once they get hooked.

Another storied encounter sprouts from the garden's own bounty. One young veteran was confused when he saw the fresh green beans donated to the VA food shelf in Burlington. A New York City native, he'd only seen them canned.

Food not only leads to revelations such as this, but according to Jess Hyman of Vermont Community Garden, it's an equalizer for all populations.

"It's the physical activity together," she said. "A group of people working for a common goal and a common place can help bridge barriers that might exist."

According to Humphrey, it's a freeing act that opens one up to the community. Gerasimof agreed, saying it aids veterans in feeling welcomed back into society. In conjunction with community partners, the VA also offers fly fishing and skiing.

Throughout the summer, up to 10 veterans are out gardening Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, Gerasimof said.

One of the most exciting parts is seeing the reactions when the potatoes become visible and the bushes are heavy with tomatoes. Almost equally enjoyable, though, is figuring out what went wrong when the produce doesn't emerge.

As the morning's gardening wrapped up last week, the group migrated to a set of picnic tables to talk of the work done and what's to come, mingling with new friends.

While they did so, 558 pounds of newly planted onions and 1,750 pounds of potatoes rested under the dirt.

"It was a no-brainer we would support this project," Achilich said, noting the benefits of students and veterans working together.

Chris Boutin, a retired veteran and full-time student at the college, has been invested in the garden program from its launch, St. Michael'scoordinatorof studentveteran services Ken O'Connell said.

He was awarded a research grant this year to study how to measure the success of veterans being in the garden, O'Connell said.

Again, Gerasimof said it all starts with that three-letter word: Yes.

"All they need is that sense of adventure," Gerasimof said.