27 Sep 2022

For this second edition of our solidarity day, we travelled a little closer to home and spent an inspiring day with the team at Le Chemin des Fleurs.

Le Chemin de Fleurs is especially close to our hearts as we have been supporting them since the founding of PAI Community and have built a very close relationship with them.

Throughout the years we have worked with them in organising end of the year gifts for the PAI employees, having a stand at our AGM showcase, organising subscriptions to organic vegetable baskets and a wide variety of other interactions.

Little did we know the best was yet to come.

The day started with a tour of the very impressive land and buildings that constitute the farm (despite the devastating fire they experienced a few years back). We were also very wise in choosing the day as it was the monthly birthday celebration so delicious homemade cakes were had before getting down to some serious work with the employees in reinsertion who guided the PAI neophytes and taught us how to become gardening and florist extraordinaires. This helped them build more confidence and realise that they had expertise and knowledge to share with others.

We then split into groups with some going to take care of the dried flowers with the while other got their hands dirty picking butternut and clearing out the greenhouse for the winter months.

A beautiful lunch produced entirely with the vegetables grown on site was then enjoyed by the PAI team and permanent employees of the charity. François Bataillard had prepared a special project for us after lunch to wake us up and we sawed, drilled and hammered two garden containers.

All in all it was a fulfilling and educational day and the PAI team is ready to go back whenever they’ll have us.

 

A big thank you to all the PAI Partners team members who gave their time that day namely Anna, Susana, Otto, Julie S., Christina, Geneviève and a special thanks to Eric Bouchez who came to join us in the fun.