Volunteer Week: You'll Find Joy in Our Garden

The “volunteer bug” bit Joy Cumba of Novato last year, prodding her to seek out Marin organizations that provide services to homeless men and women.

“Instead of being indifferent, I think it’s nice to help,” she says.

Since she lived in a condominium and missed having her own garden, Joy was hooked when she found the call for volunteers in the gardens at New Beginnings Center. “Being here in the garden has been a gift,” she says.

Joy has become a key supporter in the gardens, spending Tuesdays at work with garden supervisor David Jordan. The 26-row produce garden and “edible landscape” in the center’s interior courtyard provide fruit and vegetables for 80 residents as well as lessons for Fresh Starts Culinary Academy.

With a single full-time staff member responsible for both gardens and overall landscaping, growing fruit and produce at New Beginnings Center requires ongoing volunteer help. Local groups often plan service days with us and there are regular community work days -- check our website at hbofm.org for details.

“I didn’t know how to compost until I met David,” says Joy, who writes romance novels when she’s not in the garden. “I’ve learned a lot of useful things.”