National Volunteer Week 2025: Green Thumb Edition
This year, Earth Day falls at the beginning of National Volunteer Week, allowing Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh to reflect on the role our volunteers play in connecting with nature. Our mission of creating hope through community aid is done in a variety of ways, but on Earth Day, we’re highlighting how our Cape Fear and Tar River regional offices have done this through their creation of green spaces!
In 2018, the Cape Fear Region participated in a life-changing partnership for families with the creation of a community garden. During a ‘Work for Wilmington’ event day, a county wide day where volunteers gather to complete community projects with local organizations, Catholic Charities volunteers were able to work side by side with American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) volunteers to erect a lush garden at Cape Fear’s Harrelson Center office in just four hours!
Additionally, the Cape Fear Catholic Charities office was also able to install garden beds in two low-income apartment complexes. This was a partnership between Cape Fear staff and volunteers, the N.C. Cooperative Extension, and funded by the New Hanover County Development Endowment Fund. Because of this partnership and our volunteers’ dedication, 13 families across two complexes were able to gain access to personal raised garden beds. The volunteers’ efforts have enabled community members to have more access to fresh local produce, something that is hard to come by for folks living in food desserts across the city.
One of Cape Fear’s highlighted volunteers for this week is Clare Sullivan, who has had the unique experience of going above and beyond by taking part in every Cape Fear volunteer program, including the garden. Additionally, when the office’s food pantries started participating in the Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP), Sullivan volunteered 5 days a week to ensure the program went off without a hitch.
Sullivan reflects on why volunteering is important, “Seeing the tremendous need in our community shows me that giving back and helping them with my time and praying for them, as I have been blessed with a beautiful family and strong health. Volunteering for Catholic Charities is my way of paying my life forward to people who need it.”
The Tar River Regional office in Greenville is also home to a community garden on site at their food pantry. The garden is expertly maintained with the help of Volunteer Garden Coordinator Nancy Smith and recruiter Jean Merenda. Affectionately referred to as ‘the garden gals’ by Regional Director Liz McDowell, they both wield green thumbs and a passion for giving back to their community by doing something they love. This year they are proud of their baby lettuce that the duo nurtured from seed to plant, and once fully grown, will be able to nourish our neighbors in need. The two love hearing from the frontline warehouse volunteers when families ask about their produce.
“When we were able to distribute produce grown in our garden, many folks were excited that they were
receiving the fruits of our efforts as they watched the garden grow,” Merenda remarked.
Both the Tar River and Cape Fear Regional Office volunteers have exciting future commitments. Cape Fear’s Clare Sullivan is looking forward to training new volunteers as the office expands into Bladen County, and the Tar River ‘Garden Gals’ are taking the lead with teaching any new volunteers interested in helping with the garden.
Catholic Charities appreciate the unwavering dedication of its volunteers across Central and Eastern North Carolina, from retired seniors to full-time workers and students. These generous individuals strengthen communities through acts of service and support. If you have a skillset that can be used, you want to learn skills that can be used in every aspect of your life, or if you simply want to find community and try something new we encourage you to volunteer at a location close to you.
