Corps Member Penny Richichi shares a reflection here on her experiences serving at Coastal Roots Farm, an amazing nonprofit now in its third year of partnership with IVC:
Two years ago, words and phrases like Peleh, Shalom Circle, and Shomrei Adamah, were not in my vocabulary. In fact, a few years ago, I wasn’t even aware of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, and I had never visited Coastal Roots Farm.
That changed when I attended a Holy Cross Cares event with my sister last year. It was there we met IVC Members Bill and Eileen Hennrikus, who shared with me that IVC was like the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) for older adults.
I was familiar with JVC having volunteered alongside JVs in L’Arche communities in my 20’s. I look back on the time I spent in L’Arche as one of the most enriching in my life.
At the time of the Holy Cross Cares event, I was still feeling a little bereft after the sudden passing of my brother Mike the year before. In the months following his death, I reflected on his life and also on mine. Two things really stood out:
First, Mike, who graduated a year ahead of me at Marquette, had done volunteer work for many years and was an example to me of our alma mater’s charge: “Be the Difference.”
Second, volunteering on a regular basis was missing from my life. I felt I could make more of a difference. At the end of the evening, Eileen made a simple invitation: “You should think about joining IVC.” After a period of discernment, I did just that.
Of all the possible IVC placements, I kept being drawn to Coastal Roots Farm – a nonprofit Jewish community farm whose mission is to cultivate healthy, connected communities through sustainable agriculture, food justice, and ancient Jewish wisdom. They grow over 80,000 pounds of food each year, donating more than 75% to food-insecure San Diegans.
They needed a volunteer for their After School Program for kids ages 3–10, and soon I became the Education Enrichment Assistant on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
Entering the farm’s education area, you’re greeted by signs about challenges we are facing agriculturally and in our food system, along with solutions and simple actions we can all take.
Each day on the farm is a little different, but it always begins and ends with Shalom Circle – a time to listen, build community, and reflect. The children learn about soil health, composting, beneficial pests, harvesting, and the role of chickens in renewing the land. They get their hands dirty planting, weeding, and harvesting from the education garden. One day they picked carrots and baked carrot cake. They also explore the farm’s core values, including wonder – “Peleh!”
One afternoon, Sharone Oren, the Education Manager, joined us to teach about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year – a time to reflect on the past and share hopes for the year ahead. The apples and honey she brought were a hit – a toast to a sweet new year.
Later that day, the kids paired up with paper and colored pencils. They reflected on a hurt they were holding onto from the last year; for some it was an action where they wished they had made a different choice. They wrote or drew it on paper, and offered it to the compost bucket to give it to the earth. I was amazed at their thoughtfulness. I really shouldn’t have been, as they had learned the amazing power of transformation.
They then took another piece of paper embedded with tiny flower seeds, wrote or drew their hopes for the new year, and planted them in the garden. These simple moments touch me deeply, and I’m filled with gratitude to help facilitate them.
I’m not sure if wonder brings gratitude or moments of gratitude bring wonder. I know my days are filled with more of both since joining IVC. I’m grateful to these little ones and Coastal Roots Farm, both “Shomrei Adamah,” Guardians of the Earth.
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The Coastal Roots Farm team has embraced Penny as an integral part of the after school program, where her kindness, curiosity, and steady presence enrich interactions with the kids.
“Her patience and interest in each child create space for them to explore, ask questions, and feel seen,” shared Paige, one of the program educators. Whether she’s leading small groups through garden activities or assisting with daily lessons, Penny brings what Paige calls “another layer of care” by supporting staff and jumping in wherever help is needed.
For Jami, another educator, Penny’s genuine sense of wonder stands out most. “She always keeps that wow factor as we’re doing things,” Jami said. “The kids get to see her react the same way they might be feeling, and she asks the great questions they’re thinking but don’t yet know how to articulate.”
Sharone, the Farm’s Education Manager, appreciates the broader partnership: “IVC is a value-based organization, just like the Farm. Their volunteers bring enthusiasm, passion, caring, and love – all the things the Farm and its guests need in order to stay nourished.”
