Every other Tuesday, Linda Lowe heads to the Applegate Valley’s Sanctuary One Care Farm, chopped organic carrots in hand for the farm’s four-legged denizens to snack on.
It’s a routine that’s come with a self-imposed nickname: The Carrot Lady. And the act of sharing the veggies is in line with her motivation for volunteering at the care farm the past six years.
“I just like being of service to the animals and giving them a clean place to lay their heads at night,” Linda says. “My driving force is the animals.”
Linda remembers when the care farm first debuted in Southern Oregon in 2007. At the time, she was focused on her volunteer work with another group focused on animal rights. But eventually, she wanted a change, volunteer work that was more hands-on.
Sanctuary One fit the bill nicely.
Now, six years after she began, she’s on the farm for about 2 ½ to 3 hours every other Tuesday, getting her hands dirty. Much of her work involves mucking the stalls and barnyard, but she’s also worked in the garden and with the care farm’s cats and dogs. Additionally, she’s showed up to numerous volunteer week events and community open farm days.
“I pretty much have done most things there,” Linda says.
The volunteering is fulfilling and memorable, and it comes with its own cast of memorable characters. Foremost in Linda’s mind are the goats Freddy and Friday, Marshmallow the rabbit, and Jigsaw and Pickles the pigs.
“All of them have their own little personalities,” Linda says.
These animals and others have taught her plenty, too.
“I just think they give us unconditional love, and I feel like they’re my friends. They don’t have the complexities that humans do,” Linda says. “A lot of these animals have been through some pretty horrific conditions, and the fact they have the capacity to trust humans is pretty humbling.”
So, chopped up carrots in tow, she’ll continue to head out to the care farm every other Tuesday to lend a hand in making their lives better.
