One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. For Jenna Waterman Wolfley, it’s more than a proverb – it’s a way of life.
“We live in a very disposable world,” she said. “So many things go away so quickly – jobs, relationships and material items – but I’m fortunate enough to be the keeper of other people’s things, of their memories.”
Jenna receives items that are no longer needed by community members and breathes new life into them. During the holiday season, she collects old ornaments, wreaths, decorations, and blank holiday cards. After cleaning and fixing them, they are distributed to individuals in need for free.
“I will get calls from nursing homes, group homes, neighbors of someone who needs a little sunshine, or people who are going through a hard time – people who don’t have the disposable income to buy these things, especially in this economy,” she explained. “It’s wonderful that people have come to me and trust me with their inner wants, what they want for the holidays.”
This is the fourth year that Jenna has been creating these customized pieces, noting that she makes between 20 and 25 each holiday season.
“We’ve had phone calls asking for items for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Three Kings’ Day,” said Waterman Wolfley. “We’re Jewish and we’ve become the Christmas center of Chili! It’s so beautiful that we can be a different faith entirely, yet I can help them celebrate their own holidays.”
In 2017, Jenna and her family moved to the area from Rochester’s east side, looking for a more suburban, rural area. They bought property on Loyalist Avenue and turned it into a working farm, complete with a beehive, fruit trees, berry and apple orchards, and a garden of fresh flowers. Everything produced on their property is then put out for people to take, free of charge.
Waterman Wolfley homeschools her special-needs son, who is in tenth grade. “Homeschooling can be so isolating,” she explained. “We began farming and ran a food cupboard, then a book swap. We were just trying to find ways to stay connected in and within the community.”
This became even more difficult during the pandemic’s lockdowns. In the height of it, Jenna and her son, Sergei, were cooking and sharing free meals for people in need, no questions asked.
“We also did this thing called the Land of Misfit Toys,” explained Waterman Wolfley. “We would go and get stuff people didn’t sell at garage sales. My husband, Ted, would clean and fix everything. Then we’d set everything out and arrange pre-set shopping times for people to come and get toys for their kids. I’d love to bring that back.”
Jenna and her family consider themselves contemporary homesteaders. “We can fix things, we can grow things, we can cook things,” she said. Her son, Sergei, also collects clothes and upcycles them, providing a clothing closet for teenage boys to pick up free outfits.
“People come to us and ask if we want something that they were getting rid of. It has become a movement – people no longer feel guilty about giving things away,” she explained. “And everybody has a story that they want to share about what they’re donating. Like they used to use something with their kids, but the kids have since moved away.”
Jenna is very appreciative of the community members who donate items. She has received so many that they fill her garage, which has been converted to a workspace that can seat 10 to 12 crafters.
“This community needs a lot but also gives a lot,” said Waterman Wolfley. “It just really speaks to me that even with the price of gas, people will drive from wherever they live to bring me stuff.”
Jenna and her family get so much joy out of giving back to the community and supplying hope to others, that they don’t plan on stopping any time soon. In fact, she’d like to expand her efforts.
“I’m never bored,” joked Waterman Wolfley, who teaches three disciplines at RIT, where she’s been working for the past 22 years. Her ultimate goal is to rent a place in Chili Center so all of these projects could live under one roof, and her family could help even more individuals.
“What we get paid in return could never be equated to cash,” she said. “We’ve met hundreds of people in Chili that we wouldn’t have met otherwise. We’ve made friends. People have brought us things that they thought we would find joy.”
Individuals can reach out to Jenna Waterman Wolfley via Facebook for requests or to arrange donation drop offs.
