Guest Post: Melinda Dillion, Sustainable Growing Expert & Community Engagement Coordinator
Let us introduce you to the newest member of the Giving Grove network, Melinda Dillon. Melinda Dillon has joined the Giving Grove program at Kansas City Community Gardens as the Community Engagement Coordinator. Melinda’s interesting and varied background begins from her experience of growing up on a farm with an orchard. The Giving Grove is thrilled to have her expertise and experience joining our network of orcharding organizations. If you enjoy this blog, consider subscribing to The Serving, Giving Grove’s quarterly newsletter.
I was three when my family built a home on a 30-acre farm in the middle of Kansas. The first thing my mother planted was an orchard. The orchard has gone through many changes over the last 45 years but is still producing lots of fruit.
My mother is my teacher and inspiration. When I was five, she assigned me a 20' x 20' plot in her garden to plant whatever I wanted to grow. (I planted potatoes, tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers, sunflowers, and kohlrabi.) Her philosophy is not to waste an ounce of food. To this day, she goes out every morning and picks up the fallen fruit in the orchard. She cuts off the bad spots and juices/cans a few jars every day. She has taught me how to preserve food and feed others with the bountiful harvest. She always gives away her best produce. She will bring a home-cooked meal to a family in need because of sickness or death. Like her, I find peace in the garden and am fulfilled by helping others.
I left the family farm to attend college, where I studied biology and chemistry in my undergrad and went on to get a doctorate in chiropractic. I believe that health encompasses the whole person, and healthy food plays a big part. So, while I have owned and operated a clinic since 2010, I have also cooked in more than 20 restaurants, worked on six different specialty farms, managed multiple farmers’ markets, and organized onsite cooking workshops. I have catered several farm-to-table events and hosted numerous dinner parties. I love making food out of what I grow and food is an easy way to make people happy.
My mother and son harvesting with the family orchard in the background.
“I have always been fortunate to be surrounded by nature and a strong community. They are interwoven in the fabrics of life that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy. ”
In July 2018, I had the opportunity to WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) in Italy and France and discovered many different sustainable agriculture practices. WWOOFing is a great opportunity to embed yourself in a new culture. This experience changed how I work the land and view a meal. (For one, I think we Americans make food too complicated.)
I worked at two different farms in Italy. The first was a bakery that sourced their wheat from Sicily, which they said was the best wheat in the world. (Funny to hear that being a Kansan.) They had a small garden and grew artichokes and lots of wild fig trees with ripe fruit. The second was an agriturismo farm. They had goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, horses, and a mule that were free to roam wherever.
In 2018, I brought home my new knowledge from WWOOFing and helped start a nonprofit called KC Farm School. This was my first experience working in the nonprofit sector. Since we were brand new and working on a shoestring budget, we all had to hit the floor running. I wore many different hats. It was challenging but rewarding! In just three years, we turned a field of hairy vetch into production rows.
From my experience at KC Farm School, I learned that I enjoyed working in the nonprofit world, and I was ready to expand my experience. When I saw that the Community Engagement Coordinator position at Kansas City’s Giving Grove program was available, I knew it was a perfect fit, so I jumped on it!
I love seeing all the orchards going into these vacant lots providing healthy calories to areas experiencing food insecurity. I am joining the Giving Grove team at an exciting time when many of their earlier orchards are now producing fruit and feeding the community. I am grateful to be a part of a team that positively impacts the world. Thanks for including me in this adventure!
