Middlesex Community College: MCC Gardeners Harvest Strawberries To Donate To Food Pantry

Press release from the Middlesex Community College:

Caitlin Buckley

6/7/2021

Middlesex Community College is once again opening its Bedford campus community garden to gardeners from the broader Bedford community. Members of the college and surrounding community visited the Bedford campus on Monday, June 7 to harvest strawberries that have been growing in the garden, and which will be donated to the college’s food bank.

“We are seeing our biggest response from the community ever,” said Chris Fiori, MCC’s Director of Data Analytics and coordinator of the college’s community garden activities. “With the pandemic – witnessing all the hardships people had to face, including food insecurity – I think people want to get outside and play a part in something that gives back to the community. Having this garden at Middlesex allows all of us to have a positive impact on our community by donating fresh produce to our food pantry.”

Understanding the need to maintain a more environmentally friendly lifestyle on campus, the strawberry harvest will kick off a summer of sustainability at Middlesex. The event also serves as a gradual return to more in-person events on campus after the college transitioned to a majority of remote, virtual and limited contact systems throughout the pandemic.

“We want to use the summer and the good weather to help us reintroduce vitality and foot traffic onto our campuses this summer,” said Patrick Cook, MCC’s Executive Director of Public Affairs. “We missed last year’s community garden partnership, but have heard from dozens of our community partners that gardening feels like a safe and healthy return, both physically and mentally, to many of the activities we once took for granted and can help our communities get back on their roads to recovery.”

On Monday, MCC students, personnel and gardeners were joined by town gardeners as well as Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno and State Representative Ken Gordon.

“This is a wonderful partnership between the college and its community,” Gordon said as he walked the rows of already planted gardens. “Our community has been eager to get back to normal, and to be able to do so while helping to contribute to area food banks and support sustainability efforts is a perfectly-timed opportunity.”

A collaboration between the Student Sustainability Club and the Sustainability Advisory Committee, the 5,000-square-foot organic community garden was established in 2011. Gardeners can plant, maintain and harvest in their assigned plots. The garden is fenced, and water is provided via an irrigation system and hoses. Community members in the Bedford area have purchased 2-by-8-foot garden plots for $25 each. About a half dozen plots remain available.

To claim one of the remaining plots, please email fioric@middlesex.mass.edu

Students can reach their goals with a variety of options in MCC’s Summer and Fall 2021 semesters. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434 to register.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!

This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.