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Beautiful Gardens - Outreach & International Affairs - Virginia Tech

Beautiful Gardens - Outreach & International Affairs - Virginia Tech

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Hometown IndustrIes'volunteers pIck up furnIturefrom donors each Fridayand move It Into clients'home!> for the Women'sResource Center."Their work would be easier if someone would donate a reliabletruck to Hometown Industries," Lee adds. They also need a place to store donated items, Martin says. Hometown Industries has helped more than 150 families in 14 different communities in the area, working in concert with six other New River Valley social services agencies.Stoll became involved through her course in the fall 2005semester and then volunteered on her own in the Service­Learning Center's office in spring 2006,FAMli IEIN CRISI~ometown Industries' other weekly client in addition tothe Second Harvest Food Bank is the Women's ResourceCenter of the New River Valley, for which the studentvolunteers pick up donated furniture and deliver it todisplaced families.Martin explains: "Students gain a better understanding offamilies from different socioeconomic backgrounds. We seefirst-hand the effects of predatory lending on working familiesin financial crisis. One family was paying $700 a year to renta bunk bed. Someone donated a bunk bed and we delivered itto that family.""We depend on them," says Betty Lee, property manager forthe Women's Resource Center. "We would be at a loss if wedidn't have the advantage of their help on Friday afternoonsand Saturdays. They help us move women from shelters to permanenthomes. They also pick up and move donated furniture."This year, after each Saturday project, students enjoyed a relatedactivity. After helping master gardeners with landscapingat the Jacksonville Center in Floyd, students later learnedbasic forging techniques from a local blacksmith, for example.Martin hopes these opportunities will encourage morestUdents to spend their Saturdays on community projects.In the final analysis, students really enjoy the service work.Katie Maitland recalls their work at Second Harvest with asmile. "We participated in the Hokies United against Hungerservice day last fall when we had over 80 students, staff, andalumni, including about 30 of my tellow corps of cadets members,about 20 Hometown Industries students, and the entirewomen's basketball team and their coaches." That day, the<strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Tech</strong> group sorted over 30,000 pounds of food andinstalled a flowerbed."They actually honored us at a luncheon last spring as theiroutstanding volunteers," Maitland recalls. "Over 100 peoplewere there applauding us. It was amazing."Www.vtserves. vt.eduJohn McCormickStudents plantApril 1.6 memorialgardens. left, andhelp renovate thecommunity centerin Shawsville Va ..right. with PerryMarlin pitchingn, far right.Josh Arm strongOucreac/,NDW I 23

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