M.P. Hassel 

April 20, 2024

On April 18, Community College of Philadelphia celebrated Earth Day early by giving away fresh produce in front of Grady’s Garden. The Food Sovereignty Team has kept this program running on Thursdays for the entire academic year. Past events took place from late September through March. After a few rain delays, the program started up again at 1:30 p.m. and lasted for two hours while supplies lasted. The next food giveaway will be on Thursday, May 2nd. 

The Food Sovereignty Team includes Jenavia Weaver, Ida Swindel, and Quamiir Trice from the Student Engagement Department. You too can join in as the Spring crops are planted in Grady’s Garden. They always accept help weeding, planting, and harvesting. Students who help also get fresh fruits and vegetables. 

One of the people assisting today was Frank Scales, President-Elect of Student Government Association (SGA). He helped assemble bags of potatoes, garlic, green peppers, carrots, celery, lettuce, cucumber, onions, apples, limes, and cilantro in plentiful amounts. The table, situated outside Grady’s Garden, along 17th Street just south of the main entrance to Bonnell Building, also had turkey sandwiches and cake.  “We want to do that more often – like every week.” He is excited to work with his fellow elected student leaders, furthering this program and supplying students with healthy meals and snacks. 

Scales’ most pertinent initiative is to augment the snack rack in Winnett Building, in the Student Engagement Room S1-12. He wants to provide more healthy non-perishables like granola bars for commuting students. According to his past work with the Food Sovereignty Team, he believes there is enough helping hands to make the snack rack a staple of Main Campus. With more work, stores, restaurants, and farms in the greater Philadelphia area can donate food or sell at a discounted rate. With more food, the snack rack can operate with more frequency and serve more students. 

Research shows that proper nutrition significantly impacts cognitive function and academic performance. Students who eat healthier tend to have better concentration, memory retention, and overall mental alertness, which are crucial during classes and study sessions. Many students at Community College of Philadelphia, especially the commuting population, struggle to maintain a balanced diet due to busy schedules, limited budgets, and easy access to food trucks, fast food, and processed snacks. The café in West Building on Main Campus closes at 2p.m. every day, meaning that a late lunch or dinner must come from the food trucks lined up along 17th Street, another restaurant along Spring Garden Avenue, or must wait until they get home. And how affordable and available are these options if one must buy or make every meal while commuting and working through school? 

With term papers and finals fast approaching, the average student commuting to campus has little time in the morning to prepare meals for the rest of the day; taking public transit compounds that struggle. Frank Scales has much work ahead of him if he hopes to make positive change, but he is hopeful: “Covering somebody’s groceries for a week is a big deal.”