The PMSC AmeriCorps team that served at with the The Student Farm at Penn State in 2023-2023 not only dedicated hours of sweat equity to grow beautiful vegetables to provide nutrition for their local community, they also developed outreach programming to education and empower children and adults of all ages toward sustainable growing practices, healthy food choices, and historical and cultural understanding.
The Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm at Penn State partners with local organizations such as Taproot Kitchen (www.taprootkitchen.org) an organization that "provides work opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and uses gleaned produce in their dishes. Campus partners like the Lion's Pantry, Penn State's Student Food Bank, and White Course Apartments, Penn State Family Housing for Students, ensures that students have access to Student Farm produce" (studentfarm.psu.edu).
PMSC AmeriCorps members Ayiana Biddle, Anton Fatula, Hans Muse, Vancie Peacock, and Zachary Raugh are passionate about growing great food and getting it to people who can benefit from it's goodness. Biddle reports that "no chemicals are used in the growing process at the farm," and instead they utilize, "biological control with the release of beneficial insects" into the crop areas to control the crop-killing ones-- and this ensures that the produce getting to community members is as nutritious as possible. Hans Muse explained that the thousands of pounds of produce that is distributed from the PSU student farm could not be possible with out the help of "lots of local volunteer groups," another element of farm life that the PMSC AmeriCorps team is partially responsible for coordinating. Produce goes from the garden and is stored in student designed and built cold storage (built from a repurposed shipping container) to extend shelf life until the veggies can make it to people who can benefit.
To extend the growing seasons, the PSU student farm utilizes high tunnels, as Biddle reports, and the high towers have the technology to "sense when it is getting too hot in the tower and the sides roll up automatically so that air can move through and vents let out the hot air," so that vegetables can thrive. Members Muse and Raugh also constructed a hydroponics growing system this year to further diversify growing methods on the farm.
Peacock and Fatula have dedicated much of their service to outreach programming with Peacock developing programs "Salad Club, which gave subsidized boxes of veggies to students each week for a month....Participants in the program noted how crucial Salad Club was in helping them regularly access fresh vegetables." Fatula expressed that he is proud of, "educating our community on why sustainable food is so important."
Meeting critical needs in health and wellness, expanding sustainable growing practices, educating and empowering community members across the State College region-- PMSC AmeriCorps on the PSU Student Farm came to get things done. There is no question they bring out the very best of each other, of State College, and of America. One step onto the PSU Student Farm brings visitors an overwhelming sense of community. It is clear that the team's dedication to mutual support and understanding has grown even more than amazing vegetables this year: they've fostered critical relationships necessary for thriving communities.