Margaret Sheskey poses with the tomatoes harvested from the OHIO Student Farm before loading them into her car to transport to the Nelsonville Food Cupboard.
Margaret Sheskey and Flynt Smathers came to the OHIO Student Farm recently to harvest about 400 pounds tomatoes for the Nelsonville Food Cupboard, a food pantry serving all of Athens County.
The Nelsonville Food Cupboard strives to have fresh produce, as well as other fresh staples such as eggs, available for families who visit the pantry. Each month, the pantry supplies about 600 families, equaling about 1,500 individuals. With a visit to the Nelsonville Food Cupboard, families receive a three-day supply of food, and sometimes more.
The pantry seeks out locally sourced produce as much as possible, collecting food from Community Food Initiative’s Donation Station, local residents with gardens, Athens Food Rescue, and now, the OHIO Student Farm.
Sheskey and Smathers, with the help of an Ohio University Food Studies theme student intern, harvested the tomatoes. This opportunity more strongly connected the OHIO Student Farm with the surrounding community in Athens County, and demonstrated concepts discussed in food studies courses, such as food justice and access, in a relevant and local setting.
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