NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 4, 2017 — The harvest was plentiful, but the workers were few.
That is when Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Weintraut, a recruiter and career counselor here, had an idea. He had just spent the last year helping to recruit future sailors from around Kingsport, Tennessee, and now he thought about recruiting them for a more local mission: helping to harvest the community garden.
A Community of Gardeners
And while he was there, he found more than fresh produce and a chance to be outdoors. He found a community of people, many of them decades older than himself, but knowledgeable and willing to teach him. He learned from master gardeners and gained experiences that he couldn’t find in a book.
Then the harvest came. A nearby tomato plant that towered 10 feet in the air fell onto his plot and he could see the arriving bounty would just be too much for many of his neighbors in
For
Helping Others
“There are some people that just can’t do what they once could,” he said. “Too many younger people fail to get out their house and help others as much as they can. People get stuck on their TV, phones or Facebook. But the future sailors came out to the community and helped. They were the youngest people there. Everyone else was 45 and older except for me.”
“Even though they haven’t stepped foot into boot camp yet, the gardeners were thanking them for making the decision to join the Navy. They had to
Now that the planting beds are cleaned, Weintraut is learning how to grow winter crops. But in a way, he already knows how. Helping young people find direction for a career requires time and tending, and in the case of the Navy, some water.
“I really enjoy the fact that I get to help people by giving them a plan and helping them move forward with their life. There aren’t enough people who take an interest in helping others find direction,” Weintraut said. “People are quick to judge, but no one wants to help. However, we strive to do more and help give people a choice.”