CareFirst Volunteers Revitalize HCC Garden for Juneteenth
For Juneteenth, it was a labor of love for the members of the Black Professional Network at CareFirst, who braved the heat to volunteer at Howard Community College's (HCC) campus garden.
As part of the college's Fueling Dragons Program, the garden helps address student food insecurity by producing fresh, organic fruit and vegetables for the Vivian C. "Millie" and William Harrison Bailey on-campus food pantry, which provides nutritious meals for approximately 450 to 500 students monthly during the fall and spring semesters.
"It's going to be incredibly helpful. This is peak garden season, and we have so few students on campus who would be helping out and volunteering," HCC Fueling Dragons Coordinator Tricia Zadjura said during the volunteer event.
Volunteers added mulch, watered crops, harvested mint, and planted seeds that will grow just in time to replenish the food pantry for the fall semester, providing students in need access to healthy food.
"There's a dire need we see through different services on campus. They go to speak to a counselor or professor. We have students say, 'I'm hungry, I don't know when my next meal will be.' It's an amazing opportunity to have a food pantry on campus where we can serve our students," HCC Associate Vice President for Student Development Zakia Johnson added.
WBAL-TV 11: 'Fueling Dragons' provides Howard Community College students with free access to healthy food
WMAR-TV: Volunteers help Howard Community College with garden, food pantry for Juneteenth