Laborers For The Harvest

From June 12-14, 58 high school students from across the Diocese of volunteered their time and talents as part of Mission Evansville.  

Now in its second year, Mission Evansville is a summer initiative designed by youth ministers and educators across the diocese.  The project aims to encourage high school students to see and serve the needs of the community.  Students who participated dedicated themselves to one volunteer project for three days.  This year, the project’s patron saint was Saint Mother Teresa, and the theme of the mission was “peace.”    

Mission Evansville volunteer Hannah Prow, a sophomore at New Tech in Evansville, spoke of the connection between the group’s missionary work and fostering peace in the community.  “We’re working around the community to spread love to everybody, doing what the disciples did:  showing love, which is the root of peace,” she said.    

The 58 students joined youth ministry coordinators and educators from the diocese to volunteer at 12 local organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Ozanam Family Shelter and Seton Harvest.  At Seton Harvest, students worked in the community garden planting tomatoes and pulling up onions.  

Sponsored by the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise, Seton Harvest serves to “share locally grown food with shareholders, and persons who are financially poor and hungry in our community.” A Certified Naturally Grown Farm, Seton is committed to growing organic crops, increasing sustainability, and sharing local resources.       

Seton Harvest Outreach Coordinator Julie Dietz said that the initiative donates 20 percent of its harvest, which translates to thousands of pounds of produce each year.  Those donations go to 20 charities in the area, including the Evansville Christian Life Center, St. Vincent Day Care and the Ozanam Family Shelter.

Along with charity, community education is an important facet of Seton’s work and mission.  Dietz noted that last year, almost 700 children visited the farm on group field trips.  On these trips, students receive a tour of the facilities, learn about animals and plants, and take home plants that they planted themselves.  “Our goal is to educate [students] on where their food comes from and how it grows,” Dietz said.

Dietz hopes that students volunteering with Mission Evansville also see their time at Seton as both a volunteer opportunity and an educational opportunity.  “It’s not just about them working, it’s about them learning,” she said.  

Bryan Macke, who serves as youth minister at four parishes in southern Gibson County, is one of Mission Evansville’s adult volunteers. He hopes that the students learn from their experiences and realize that they “don’t have to go away” on mission trips to serve the needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ.  “We’ve done things out of town, but it’s important to understand there are people around here in need,” he said.