Unity Gardens U of M Spring Break

Thirteen diverse and (overly) excited University of Michigan students embark on their Spring Break volunteer trip at the Unity Gardens in Southbend Indiana. 

Imagine this: two (exceptionally ancient) minivans packed to the brim with caffeinated kids and excessive luggage with custom throwback CDs. Sounds fun right? It gets better. Instead of a quick run to a drive-thru they end up taking up a whole room at Marjo’s All Day Breakfast Diner. And that was just the beginning of the adventure! 

Our hotel ended up being a small palace complete with Starbucks in the lobby, fluffy beds, glass elevators, and a suspiciously murky hot tub. We didn’t get too comfy though, because we had to meet our gracious hosts Sara and Mitch at the Unity Gardens!

We came armed with parkas, snow boots and hats, expecting to work in the polar vortex of South Bend Indiana, at Unity Gardens. We were greeted by an informative PowerPoint explaining how the gardens grow more than food; they help sustain a community. We also learned our first task would be painting bee homes! 

The next day, our “bee boxes” range from Picasso masterpieces to shameless stencils. During lunch, we were treated to a presentation on how to raise urban chickens. We all want to adopt several now!!

Excited to see what tomorrow has in store….. Until then!
Caty  Raupp

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