UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new student-led initiative is bringing fresh produce directly to campus for students, faculty and staff to enjoy all month long. The Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm and the Lion’s Pantry are partnering to offer a pay-what-you-can farmers market every Monday in October to make healthy eating easy and affordable.
The stand is set on the HUB steps outside or inside the HUB-Robeson Center each Monday from 3-6 p.m., and all are invited to come get hyper-locally grown vegetables from the Ross Student Farm. Produce will vary throughout the season, but may include vegetables like lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes, chives, herbs, squash and more.
No payment is required for the produce, but customers are invited to pay what they can using cash, check or LionCash. Donations also are accepted to help support this new project.
The new pay-what-you-can farmers market is made possible by the generous support of Robert and Cynthia Van Druff. Cynthia Druff is a master gardener and helps run the Bellefonte Children's Garden.
The project is led by Jimmy Alamia, a second-year student and Schreyer Honors Scholar studying chemical engineering. Alamia is a member of Student Farm Club and a Lion’s Pantry intern, and he organized a team that will set up and staff the farm stand each week.
“This food insecurity project and my work with the Lion’s Pantry has shown me that a lot of people’s circumstances come from factors that are out of their control,” Alamia said. “Where you are born, who raises you, where you live, the school you go to, and the opportunities you can access force our lives in different directions. It can be unfair, but piloting this stand is my part to make Penn State a little fairer.”
The farm stand is part of Penn State’s greater mission of eliminating nutrition concerns among the campus community. Along with the new market, students have access to the newly renovated Lion’s Pantry facility throughout the semester.
“We know our pay-what-you-can farm stand cannot be the only food insecurity solution at Penn State, but it serves as a symbol to the work that needs to be done to ensure consistent access to basic needs,” Alamia said.
Students who are facing challenges meeting basic needs, like food or housing, can learn more about available basic needs resources and reach out for support if needed.
The Lion’s Pantry and the Ross Student Farm are both units in Penn State Student Affairs. The Lion’s Pantry is the official on-campus student food pantry at Penn State’s University Park campus located on Big Hollow Road near Lion Surplus. The Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm at Penn State is part of the Sustainable Food Systems Program at Penn State, which provides diverse opportunities for engagement with sustainability challenges and solutions in food and agricultural systems through multifaceted programs.