Hagood Homes Helping Hands

It’s safe to say the team of Hagood Homes works hard and plays harder. On a recent Saturday morning, members left model homes and sales at the office and instead spent time volunteering for Working on Wilmington. The program, which brings together hundreds of volunteers throughout the city to work for a number of nonprofit organizations in need of assistance, was hosted in cooperation with Leadership Wilmington, a development program run by the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.

Leading the charge for Hagood Homes was Sales Manager Josh Adams, a member of the Leadership Wilmington program. He was joined by colleagues Hannah Tew, Selena Williams, Mary Virginia Freeman, and Jen Reed. The crew spent the morning at the Sgt. Eugene Ashely Center working on the Good Shepherd Community Garden.

“Everyone really came together to make this project a success,” said Adams. “I am so proud to be part of a team that finds time to make great things happen.”

The Ashely Center serves as a home for Veterans who are transitioning from homelessness. It is part of the Good Shepherd Center. The community garden not only provides fresh produce for use at the facilities, it gives the veterans an opportunity to cultivate the crops throughout the year.

But before that could happen, the area had to be cleaned out. And what a job it was! Clearing the weeds and tilling the soil was only the start. New topsoil needed to be placed on top, followed by a weed guard, and finally the good stuff! Fruits, vegetables, and herbs were planted.

A hard day’s work for sure, but worth every bit of mud, sweat, and not so many tears.

About Leadership Wilmington: 

Through hands-on community immersion and direct interaction with our community’s current leaders, Leadership Wilmington serves to cultivate leaders and advance the Wilmington region’s economy. The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce has been presenting this leadership development program for 38 years and boasts over 775 graduates. Participants will get an up-close look at some of our region’s most challenging issues and opportunities and build lifelong relationships with other aspiring leaders. Class members will also work together to organize Work on Wilmington, the community’s largest one-day volunteer service day.

About Work on Wilmington:  

Run by Leadership Wilmington, a program under the Wilmington Chamber Foundation, WOW aims to mobilize community members for a day of impactful volunteer work. This initiative is a powerful testament to the spirit of community service, and the event is made possible by the yearlong training and engagement of Leadership Wilmington participants. During this four-hour event, we aim to complete over 30 projects that range from painting and landscaping to constructing small amenities.

About Good Shepherd:

The mission of Good Shepherd Center is to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and foster transition to housing. As the largest provider of homeless services in the region, Good Shepherd Center operates a soup kitchen, food salvage program, day shelter, night shelter, medical clinic, direct case management services, bridge housing and permanent supportive housing for adults with disabilities across 3 locations locally. Good Shepherd Center’s Sgt. Eugene Ashley Center provides emergency shelter and Bridge Housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness along with Permanent Supportive Housing to Veterans with disabilities. SECU Lakeside Reserve provides 40 units of Permanent Supportive Housing for chronically homeless adults with disabilities. Across these many programs, Good Shepherd Center serves more than 3,000 households annually.

About The Sgt. Eugene Ashely Center: 

The Sgt. Eugene Ashley Center provides direct, on-site case management to Veterans, many of whom are seniors or living with some type of disability, as they transition out of homelessness. They are provided with safe, independent and affordable housing along with counseling by their case manager on their mental and physical health, income, and other resources that will help them as they reintegrate back into our community. Good Shepherd’s Community Garden offers an additional form of social engagement for our Veterans and volunteer groups who visit throughout the year to assist with the Garden’s upkeep. This allows our Veterans to feel cared for and seen by the community, while also further educating community members on the needs of our local Veterans experiencing homelessness. The garden also provides an opportunity for the Veterans to cultivate fresh, healthy produce for themselves and their fellow residents. The ability to grow their own food is an activity that allows our Veterans to take pride and ownership in their health and independent housing at the Sgt. Eugene Ashley Center. Working in the Garden provides a natural opportunity for case managers to facilitate conversations with residents about healthy eating and nutrition. The fresh produce sourced from the Community Garden is not only used to feed the veterans residing at the Sgt. Eugene Ashley Center, but also offers supplemental fresh produce to the Soup Kitchen at Good Shepherd Center’s main campus on Martin Street. In years past, any crop that has produced an abundance of food and has provided fresh, locally grown produce to be used in any of the 3 meals served every day to people in our community experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.