This August at Pas cu Pas Foundation in Borșa, the garden the children planted in June was ready for harvest. Together they picked vegetables and fruit, then turned them into pickles, zacuscă and silvoiță to last through the months ahead. Every step taught them practical skills and showed them how much care goes into the food we eat. What they discovered was bigger than a full pantry: they saw, and tasted, the results of their own work, and they took pride in what they had made together.

From the Garden to the Pantry

The harvest closed a story that began months earlier. In June the children prepared the soil, planted the seeds and tended their plants with patience. In August they returned to gather what had grown.

Then the real work started. Side by side, the children helped prepare pickles, zacuscă, a traditional Romanian vegetable spread, and silvoiță, a plum jam cooked slowly until it thickens. These recipes have been part of Romanian homes for generations, and making them is never quick. It takes washing, chopping, stirring, waiting and many hands working together.

By the end, the shelves held jars the children had helped fill. Each one stood for time, effort and care given freely.

What the Children Learned

Practical skills. The children learned how to harvest, clean and prepare food, and how to preserve it so it lasts. These are real, useful skills that build independence and confidence.

Working together. No single person could make it all alone. The children learned to share tasks, help one another and see how much more is possible when everyone contributes.

Patience and hard work. From planting in June to filling jars in August, the children saw that good things take time. Nothing they made that day would have existed without months of steady effort.

Caring for one another. Preparing food for the months ahead is an act of care. The children learned that their work can provide for others, and that this is a meaningful way to love the people around them.

Why It Matters

For many of the children we serve, it is rare to see a clear line between their own effort and a good result. The harvest gave them exactly that. They planted, they waited, they worked, and now they can see and taste what came of it.

That experience builds something lasting. A child who has helped feed others knows they have something to give. A child who has seen a seed become a full jar on a shelf has learned that patience and work bear fruit. Most of all, they have learned that they belong to a community where their contribution matters.

About Our Partnership

Open Soul Foundation is proud to stand alongside Pas cu Pas in its work with children in Borșa, Romania. The garden and harvest project is one of the many ways the foundation creates a place where children can belong, contribute and grow.

Thank you to everyone whose generosity makes these experiences possible. Your support helps us create a place where children can belong, contribute and grow.

Open Soul Foundation was here.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven… a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.” Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (NKJV)