By Karen Shih ’09 Oct 03, 2024
Amid shelves of beige pasta and grains and bags of black and brown beans, a colorful array of purple Japanese eggplants, sun-ripened cherry tomatoes and crisp green cucumbers beckoned visitors to the University of Maryland Campus Pantry early this fall.
For the nearly one in four students who experience food insecurity at UMD, the ability to pick up farm-fresh, locally grown veggies in addition to shelf-stable staples is thanks in part to College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Principal Lecturer Meredith Epstein and campus partners in Dining Services, the UMD Arboretum and Botanical Garden, and the Counseling Center. Since the summer, they’ve harvested more than 20,000 pounds of produce from Terp Farm and the Community Learning Garden for UMD’s pantry—open to anyone with a UMD ID but primarily for students—and other hunger relief organizations.
“It’s so important and impactful that this food is being grown by students for students,” said Epstein, who manages the Community Learning Garden on campus as part of her teaching duties at the Institute of Applied Agriculture.
Her project was one of 27 funded by the Do Good Campus Fund in its inaugural year—an example of the ways that UMD faculty, staff and students work to serve humanity and reimagine learning.
“I have been just blown away by my experience so far,” said Epstein, who used the funds to hire six student interns to help plant and harvest, as well as spread awareness of campus food insecurity work through research, videos and presentations. “The fund is letting us take our program to the next level, so we can tell the story of what we do and why it matters."
Now, applications are open for the second year, available to those looking to expand or scale up efforts across UMD. Students, faculty and staff can apply for grants, and at least $320,000 will be awarded for projects starting in summer or fall 2025, to be used within one year.