The Paul D. Camp Community College chapters of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society (PTK) and the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) are combining efforts to build and grow a garden at the Camp Franklin Campus. The project will benefit the students through the college’s Food Pantry, according to Camp PTK advisor Brenda Bergess.
Students from these organizations will maintain a vegetable garden near Repair Tech Field on the Franklin Campus.
“The fruits of their labor will help supplement the college’s food pantry with fresh produce for our students that are in need,” Bergess said. “The college’s mission states that we will support success in a diverse student population. This is in response to that initiative.”
The college is running food pantries at its campuses in Franklin, Suffolk, and Smithfield in the hopes that students stay focused on their studies rather than on being hungry. Research has shown that food insecurity has been an issue for college students. As many as half of college students experience food insecurity at some point in their college careers.
The students working on the project are asking for any kind of donations – monetary, seeds, soil, equipment, “and even ideas that can help us get the most from the limited space we have,” Bergess said.
Donation dates are between March 15 and March 26. The project will begin after that.
For more information, or to make a donation, contact Brenda Bergess at bbergess@pdc.edu or 757-569-6737.