An event celebrating the opening of the Penn State Berks campus garden included signs and presentations from student groups, and offered introductions to the world of gardening. That included tables to highlight the importance of pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Many of the student gardens at the Commonwealth Campuses offer the produce through farm stands and food pantries. The effort brings healthy food options to areas where people may not regularly have access to them, or might not have the resources to buy them. Students and community members alike benefit from the programs, which are open to the public.
Once the larger parts of the rock box and outdoor mud kitchen were built in the engineering lab, the Engineering Ahead students assembled the pieces in their final home at the Opportunity House's outdoor playscape in downtown Reading.
Prior to installing the rock box and outdoor mud kitchen in the outdoor playscape at the Opportunity House, students assembled the larger pieces on campus in the engineering labs.
Students in Penn State Berks' 2024 Engineering Ahead cohort not only gained valuable classroom experience prior to officially beginning their college experience, but also became familiar with the greater Reading and Berks County area.
One community service aspect of the Engineering Ahead program included donating time to Helping Harvest Food Bank, where they sorted food donations that would later be disseminated to food insecure individuals throughout Berks and Schuylkill counties.
