By Maggie Atchley, Volunteer Engagement Manager
This past Friday, volunteers from our kitchens, gardens, and everything in between gathered for our annual Volunteer Celebration Lunch, an event to show gratitude to all of the many hands and hearts that help sustain our collective work toward community food security. In the wake of this event, I have been reflecting on my first couple of months working as the Volunteer Engagement Manager for The Nashville Food Project and all of the love and welcoming I have received from our volunteer family during this time.
When I started with The Nashville Food Project, I was struck by the passion and dedication of our volunteers. Immediately, I recognized something special about these individuals, who always showed up and were so deeply involved and invested in our mission. The energy around The Nashville Food Project was unlike anything I had experienced before and while I struggled to put words to it at first, I found that our late founder Tallu Schulyer Quinn captured this energy perfectly in her book What We Wish Were True:
“My experience is that this work has always been heavy and unglamorous, but it has been joyful. Working with one’s hands… has a wonderful way of flossing out the mind. Hauling this stuff to and from for the last decade and making something meaningful has been messy and strenuous and yet somehow joyous. Our slogan internally at The Food Project evolved to become ‘come be part of our joy.’ And anyone who’s hung out at The Nashville Food Project for any amount of time knows that there is a constant, vibrant chaos that’s in passionate, hopeful pursuit of what we think is possible for Nashville, and what we believe Nashvillians are capable of doing together to wail against the symptoms of poverty. Wendell Berry says, ‘good work is a source of pleasure,’ and that is what comes to my mind when I remember our stories.”
On my first day at the Food Project, I dove in with our incredible Monday afternoon volunteers at St. Luke’s to witness this “vibrant chaos” firsthand. I watched a whirlwind of energy as Beth, Scott, Leslie, Amy and Denise turned a random assortment of food donations into almost 100 individual meals to be shared with homebound seniors, unable to cook for themselves. My amazement was admittedly coupled with some concern, as I watched a high-speed episode of Chopped unfold before me and made mental notes to study up on the show when I got home. But even in my confusion and worry that I wasn’t up to the task, I felt the joy bubbling inside that kitchen, as we laughed over Denise’s Steel Magnolias impressions and helped one another craft colorful, nutritional meals for the seniors we were serving.
What I’ve discovered since then is that this joy wasn’t unique to that one afternoon; it’s woven into the fabric of our daily work. Whether it’s learning how to shape challah rolls with Rob and his team from West End Synagogue, indulging in fresh tomatoes straight from the vine with Stephen and Maddie at Mill Ridge, or receiving a delicious homemade apple pie from Cheri after a casual mention of my fondness for apple desserts, I’ve heard the phrase “come be a part of our joy” repeated time and again in the actions of our volunteers.
This community has welcomed me with open arms, teaching me the importance of connection, collaboration, and the sheer joy of creating something meaningful together. Your generosity of time, spirit, and knowledge has made my transition into this role an absolute delight.
As I reflect on last week’s Volunteer Celebration Lunch and my past few months as part of this community, I’m filled with gratitude for each of you. Thank you for embodying that joy and for allowing me to be a part of this vibrant journey. With every weed pulled and apple chopped, we are together not just alleviating hunger; we are cultivating a community rooted in hope and shared purpose.
