CTEP enjoys a country retreat

Throughout the CTEP program year, members participate in two retreats-one in the Fall and one in the Spring. For our CTEP's Spring overnight retreat we headed to the fresh outdoors!  Member carpooled from the Twin Cities Metro area and arrived at Philadelphia Farms, located in beautiful Osceola, WI, at 10am on Friday, June 1st.  Philadelphia Farms is a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm that practices biodynamic farming practices and gives away a portion of its harvest to foodbanks in the Twin Cities every year. This year, our hosts were Rick , and farm interns Loyal and Cassie. Retreats are an opportunity for members to take time away from their service and engage with each other and program staff!  Beyond team building, retreats provide space to learn about other programs, such as the farms we visited, and give back to communities in different ways.

After an introduction to the farm and overview of the day, members worked on cultivation and weeding on Spring greens CSA crops until 1pm. We ate a meal largely furnished by the farm including: two types of chili using produce from the farm, salads from the farm, and fresh baked bread. Members then returned to the fields for another hour of weeding and cultivating before the service project ended at 3:30pm. Everyone then headed out for a hike to see the waterfall and prairie on the farm's land.

Members then had a fun-filled evening! Many went into town to see Osceola before relocating to Lily Springs Farm for a potluck dinner and relaxation in the evening. Lily Spring Farm is a fully outfitted cabin retreat center about six miles from Philadelphia Farms. Tents were brought by members and CTEP staff to take in the summer evening by the lake. Campfires and s'mores were had by all before returning to the urban life around 10am Saturday morning.