Campus
4 Hours, 13 Volunteers, and 695 Pounds of Potatoes: A FYSOP Photo Story
By Irene Berman-Vaporis • Sep 7th, 2012
As a staff member for the First Year Student Outreach Program’s hunger issue area, I pictured that I would be giving up my last two weeks of summer in order to volunteer at a soup kitchen or a food bank. Instead of distributing food, on one day of volunteering I found myself working at the other end of the spectrum—on a farm, harvesting potatoes.
My FYSOP group volunteered in Framingham at Stearns Farm CSA, where we learned the importance of knowing where the food we eat comes from. After collecting 695 pounds of potatoes, I don’t think any of us will look at a potato the same way again.
The "Shiitake Shrimp" volunteer group spent one of their three days of service at Stearns Farm CSA
Volunteers dug through the dirt carefully, searching for every potato
The BU community has several grocery stores within walking distance of campus—students don’t have to plant, harvest, and cook a potato every time they want a French fry!
Volunteer Chris Lynch’s hands were caked with dirt after digging for potatoes
Volunteers helped weigh the potatoes collected. An accurate count of crop yields helps farmers determine what should be grown in the future
Volunteers toured the farm and were shown Stearns' herb garden
No unnecessary chemicals are used on premise--meaning they had to try to use all-natural methods to get rid of yellow jacket nests
Eating fresh fruit and vegetables isn’t an option for everyone—many can’t afford produce prices, some lack the knowledge of how to eat a balanced diet, and others live in areas with no access to fresh produce
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