“I think everyone going through a similar experience today, just doing good for the community, brought everyone closer together.”
Sierra Miller’s typical day usually involves working from home. But on a sunny May morning, she traded her laptop for a gas-powered leaf blower.
“I was loving it,” says Sierra, senior recruiter, UPMC Urban Surgical Services. “The leaf blower was just a challenge that I didn't see myself doing. But whenever the opportunity came to volunteer for it, I took it because I thought it would be funny.”
Sierra was part of a group of UPMC employees who volunteered at Hilltop Urban Farm in May 2024. The volunteer opportunity was part of the UPMC Center for Engagement and Inclusion's MLK Day of Service.
To support UPMC’s commitment to volunteerism, employees can participate in community projects that honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s spirit of service.
“I'm just so happy that UPMC does this because it really fills my cup,” Sierra says. “It’s great that UPMC facilitates it, sets it up, and organizes it to make it very easy for me to take advantage of the opportunity.”
UPMC proudly supports nonprofits like Hilltop Urban Farm. The community-centered farm sits on 107 acres of land — 23 of which are dedicated to farming — in Pittsburgh’s Hilltop neighborhood.
Hattie Lehman, Hilltop's director of farm programs, says the farm relies on help from volunteer groups. From February to May 2024, more than 350 volunteer hours had already supported Hilltop Urban Farm for the year.
“It's 23 acres — (we) could not do it all," Hattie says. "I wouldn't even want to try. It's so important that volunteers help us.
"It's not that we aren't capable of doing all the tasks, because we could. It would just take us so much longer.”
Hattie and Liz Metzler, Hilltop's director of farm operations and land management, split the UPMC volunteers into two groups. Liz led a group tasked with composting and mulching about 20 trees.
“I think we had a really productive day,” Liz says. “So many hands here on-site always gets a lot accomplished. Having a crew with such positive attitudes, too, makes a difference.”
Hattie took the second group to clean a large walk-in cooler. The cooler is essential for keeping produce fresh before it is delivered to local food pantries. It also helps farmer incubators who rely on cold storage before taking their goods to local farmer’s markets.
Sierra was one of 10 volunteers who disassembled and cleaned all the shelving from the cooler. She then used a leaf blower to remove any debris from the inside.
“I love taking the opportunity to participate in these (events),” Sierra says. “Not only do I get to serve my community and get to know about more opportunities to volunteer around the area, but I also get to know my co-workers.”
It also allowed Sierra and the other volunteers to experience firsthand everything that goes into keeping the farm running.
“I really appreciate their work,” Sierra says. “It's so impactful and meaningful for the community. So I'm just happy to be a part of it, even just for a day.”
As the volunteers finished their day, they were asked to sum up their experience in one word. Hattie admits she got emotional hearing everyone’s responses.
“We heard ‘rewarding’ (and) ‘impactful,’ really great adjectives and verbs, I think, that describe the companionship and camaraderie between the staff workers that don't actually know each other, and just to see the work that the farm does to serve our neighbors here on the Hilltop,” Hattie says.
Adds Liz: “I think everyone going through a similar experience today, just doing good for the community, brought everyone closer together.”
At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means carrying on Martin Luther King Jr.'s spirit of service.
Learn more about volunteer opportunities at Hilltop Urban Farm.
