When | Summer 2017, 2018, 2019
Website | East Meadow Farm Stand
Mission | to provide Nassau County’s diverse, vibrant communities with a variety of local, affordable, fresh produce, eggs, and honey.
My Roles | Social media co-manager, cashier, and right-hand woman
Highlights | Passion finding, farm stand management, online presence expansion
My Story | I started working on the farm stand my very first summer working at Cornell Cooperative Extension Nassau County (CCE-NC). It was 2017 and I knew very little about farm stands. Thankfully, I was guided by their newly hired farm stand manager who had a wealth of retail experience and was equipped with the knowledge she acquired as a Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV). For nine month spanning three consecutive summers, we worked together to grow and expand this operation. In the process, I discovered my current passion– food system justice.
Of all the stories I can share about this wonderful experience, I choose to share one beautiful moment that continues to resonate with me. On a day in July, I sat down with a MGV to write a story on her experience working with CCE and the farm stand. She had just finished a long morning of intensive gardening and was intrigued by my Facebook project. I first asked her to introduce herself to which she replied “Carolyn Drab– but only in name,” with a chuckle. Carolyn is a woman with a calm demeanor and a fierce spirit. As I sat with her, she spoke of her interests in small-space gardening, her journey from teaching to retirement to CCE, and her love of giving back to both the earth and her community. She spoke of friendship, hard work, and fun– all of which are in plentiful in supply at the farm. I remember the laughs we shared in those short fifteen minutes and the heart that she showed. Hearing her story and lively answers to my myriad questions, I was continuously reminded of why I loved CCE Nassau– the people. Sure it was beautiful, but what made my experience at the farm stand so extraordinary were the MGVs like Carolyn, the farm stand manager who entrusted me important roles, and the customers and their stories. It is this life that keeps me interested and passionate in my food systems work.
Photo Description | A bottle of local honey in front of an East Meadow Farm garden bed
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