On Wednesday September 27th, Sarah and Andrew with the help of a volunteer crew raised a hoop house at the Laurel Valley Educational Farm, where they work.

This was participating as part of United Way of Lane County's "Day of Caring," an annual event that matches volunteers with service organizations for a day of community service. More than 950 volunteers worked on more than 80 projects throughout the county.

The plan was to make our new hoop house 60 feet long and to be constructed with all donated, reused or salvaged materials. This new structure will extend the growing season and provide a lot more nutritious local food for the community.

To kick off the project we dug holes to place the hoops. The hoops are 24' rebar with a PVC pipe sheath to protect the plastic. Notice peppers and eggplant on the left of Sarah.

The hoops are going up. Placement of the hoops required finesse, because there was a clay hard pan 12" down.

Improvisational method for attaching the pieces of scrap greenhouse plastic.

The spine of the structure is held together with old bike inner tubes and the plastic is buried in the ground about a foot deep.

Mostly finished.

Looking like a hoop house and it is hot in there on this 80 degree day.

The crew from right to left. Top row: Andrew, four Umpqua bank volunteers, Sam wise (WIA Farm Assistant), and Sarah. Bottom row: Natalie Whitson (Northwest Youth Corps development coordinator), two community member volunteers, and Sarah Smith (Northwest Youth Corps Alumni Coordinator). Thank you all for your help!

The finished hoop house amidst a flourishing farm. Already nicknamed "the three piece suit". (because it is made from three reused pieces of greenhouse plastic).