When Hurricane Irma struck Key West in September, Patrick’s wife and twin toddlers packed up what was left and moved to Brazil. But because Patrick is the owner of Grimal Grove, a non-profit educational garden, he can’t get back to his family until the entire premise is repaired and functional, but it was destroyed entirely by the storm. I’ve always been scared of hurricanes, but I never realized how a storm can take everything in an instant. Patrick works by himself and does not receive many volunteers. Although we were only able to spend one day at the gardens, what we accomplished may have taken him weeks to do by himself.
I found the day really eye-opening because I had never imagined a hurricane actually taking everything and how efficient a group can make things. Throughout the day, I helped reorganize the two-acre grounds, plant trees, mulch, repair fences and pull lots of weeds. The group as a whole was involved in so many different projects and by the end of the day, the grounds looked completely different. It was really fun trying so many tasks and seeing the immediate payoff. I’m so glad we got the opportunity to improve the grounds today and can’t wait for tomorrow!
– Macy McClintock
