Our Sudanese and Ukrainian Health Groups each enjoyed a classic New England summer activity: blueberry picking at Kosinski Farms in Westfield, MA. Since these groups’ inception, we have had nearly perfect attendance, thanks to our incredible and personable staff members, Sadadine “Sal” Adam, Health Case Aide, and Kamila Vashchenko, Ukrainian Community Engagement Coordinator. Both have been instrumental in developing these groups, with the goal of educating clients about health-related topics and fostering a sense of community.
During the outing, one Sudanese attendee shared: It is my first time blueberry picking. I saw beauty in the small things. They are so sweet and juicy. I saw blossoms on the bushes like sunshine. It gave me sweet memories of when I used to harvest my plants and farm back home. I enjoyed the company of the people I was with as much as the blueberries themselves.
For the Ukrainian group, many of them lived in the countryside before coming to the United States which made this a special day. The children enjoyed participating in the berry picking and playing in the children’s corner play space at the farm, and look forward to returning again.
We are grateful to the staff at Kosinski Farm, who were incredibly kind and expressed their appreciation to us for bringing our groups to the Farm.
