LBCC Parenting Program Benefits from Student Organic Farm Surplus

A wonderful thing started over the summer at LBCC.

Agriculture/Horticulture instructional specialist Miriam Edell oversees the farmer’s market table in the LBCC courtyard, offering produced grown in the student organic farm. Family Connections program specialist Cheryl French remembers that Edell, “knew we were doing a program to support pregnant, parenting LBCC students, and a lot of those students have very little money.” Edell contacted French to ask if leftovers from the market would be welcome for distribution to parents in their program. The answer?

“Absolutely!”

Agriculture/Horticulture faculty Stefan Seiter says, “We previously brought some excess produce to Linn-Benton foodshare earlier this year. But now that things are slowing down and students are here, we don’t have as much - but Miriam thought it would be a great idea to distribute to those students and their families.”

French adds that once the fruits and vegetables are dropped off, “we send the students all texts, and a lot of them come after they pick up their kids from the Head Start program. It’s been a wonderful thing. A couple of the little kids got introduced to vegetables they’d never eaten before, like the pineapple ground cherry,” which Edell describes as, “like a small golden tomatillo in a paper wrapper.” One parent was thrilled to pick up a sack of cucumbers, as she loves to make pickles.

Edell says, “It has been a great feeling to share the harvest.”

French added, “And the kids really like the little cherry tomatoes.”

Learn more about LBCC's Horticulture program or our Parenting Education program.