In August, members of the Greater Princeton branch of AYLUS (GPA) served at Morven Museum Giving Garden (55 Stockton Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540; Phone 609-924-8144; Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am–4pm).
A National Historic Landmark, Morven is on five pristine acres in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey. The home of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and former New Jersey Governor’s Mansion, Morven showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Garden State through regular exhibitions, educational programs, and special events.
History is an anchor to the past and a beacon to the future. Preserving and examining the past is vital for educating good citizens who will build a greater society. One day all citizens will know and understand America’s history and pursue civic duty actively and responsibly. The Museum & garden is to preserve and celebrate Morven’s legacy by sharing its authentic stories.
The Morven Museum always looks for enthusiastic, outgoing volunteers to work as docents/tour-guides and gardeners. Docents are trained to conduct tours for visitors that promote a deeper understanding of the role Morven played in American and New Jersey history. The museum is open for tours Wednesday through Sunday. The minimum commitment is two four-hour shifts per month.
With the garden curators and horticulturist, Charlie and Louise Senior, GPA members volunteered at Morven to pick and bag vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, kales, okras, and eggplants. They also dug up potatoes and transported the dirt in a wheelbarrow. They harvested a lot of vegetables for donation to Arm in Arm, a local food pantry.
If interested, email your completed volunteer application to Debra Lampert-Rudman, Curator of Education and Public Programs, dlampertrudman@morven.org
Gloria Wang: Working at The Morven this year was something I will forever be grateful for. It taught me what dedication, hard work, and success looked and felt like. Whether it was from pouring rain to scorching heat, we were able to keep the garden in tip top shape at all times. The Morven garden produces seasonal vegetables yearly. This year, we hit a record breaking number of vegetables donated to Arm in Arm which is a local food bank we work closely with. The vegetables that we donated to Arm in Arm are garlic, chives, sorrel, basil, parsley, zucchinis, cucumbers, cabbage, kale, tomatoes, mint and peas. We ended the summer with an amazing 385.17 pounds of food donated to help those in need. All of this wouldn’t be possible without the help of our 23 amazing AYLUS volunteers. I want to thank AYLUS for providing me with this incredible opportunity over the summer and allowing me to learn and grow as an individual. In addition, I am so happy to say that Louise and I have extended the volunteer times to all year instead of during the summer. The next time we plan on meeting is on September 24.
GPA Volunteers (8/22, 3 hrs): Gloria Wang, Huamian Shi, Austin Zhao, Amy Chua, Max Chua
GPA Volunteers watering the garden (8/23, 1.5 hrs; 8/24, 1.5 hrs): Tiffany Tian
