Volunteer Spotlight: Linda Lowe

 

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.

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Sanctuary One

Sanctuary One's mission is to provide a refuge for animals & people, in harmony with nature.

1 week ago

Sanctuary One
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Our Executive Director, Megan Flowers, wanted to share a story from a recent field trip."A chaperone from the class I led was a grandma of a student. In the garden I shared how our produce goes from the garden beds to someone's kitchen within 48 hours; often 24 hours. I also mentioned that the type of produce we grow was decided by surveying people's needs and requests at The Teresa McCormick Center. The chaperone mentioned her 89 year old mom filled out the survey and was so excited to receive our fresh produce. I told her that she can now go back to her mom and tell her she's seen where the produce is grown!Our garden, lovingly tended by Jess and her team, served three generations - great grandmother, grandmother, and grandchild. Small town living = wide impact."People, animals, and the earth...better together! ... See MoreSee Less
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