Jean Gordon
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 1:07 pm
|
Lindy Adams of Rutherfordton has been named the new director at the Washburn Outreach Community Center (WOCC) in Bostic. Longtime director Anita Behrns resigned recently but continues at WOCC as a volunteer.
Abrams has been working on organic agriculture and horticulture for the last 14 years as a farmer, greenhouse grower, and community garden champion.
"As Covid-19 brought food insecurity issues into the spotlight over the last several years, I began to evaluate how my skills could contribute to solutions and service to the greater good during these times of crisis," Abrams said.
"That brought me back home to Rutherfordton where I helped launch Ruff'ton Roots Community Garden. We grow food as a volunteer led organization and donate all our produce to local food relief agencies throughout the county" Abrams said.
At Ruff'ton Roots Abrams said she had an opportunity to teach basic gardening skills, create connections within the community, and provide a safe way to contribute to society. In delivering harvests, Abrams said she learned even more about the issues and challenges around distributing food including logistics, food safety, educational work, and identifying additional barriers that prevent quality food from reaching those in need.
Abrams met Behrns while delivering the harvest from Ruff'ton Roots to the Washburn food pantry.
Abrams said her "personal passion is centered on equity and quality in the food system, but also reconnecting people to the source of their life giving food which is ultimately the ground we all walk on; it is all connected and we are all connected." Washburn Community Outreach Center provides me with an opportunity to share my strengths in both logistics and leadership, while deepening my understanding of why we are all here, which I firmly believe is to support one another and create the rising tide of opportunity for all. I don't just mean that in terms of the binary between clients and Washburn volunteers, I mean that in every sense, with every interaction, every day."
The WOCC distributes free food boxes each Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The thrift store is also open Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
WOCC is operated by the Salem United Methodist Church.