At 7 a.m. on Tuesday mornings, 14 first-year students at Hampshire College begin harvesting fresh organic produce on the college farm, which they then box and deliver to Greenfield, a town about 20 miles from campus, for distribution through the regional office of the WIC Program.
The students are enrolled in a course on "Agriculture, Food and Human Health," taught by Associate Professor of Public Health Elizabeth Conlisk. The students and their professor hope that this fall's five-week pilot program can be expanded (October 4 will be the final delivery for the fall harvest season).
WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) is a federal program that safeguards the health of women, infants and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, as well as nutrition counseling and referrals to health care. The program provides a variety of healthy foods, such as nutritious cereals and milk, but not generally fresh fruits and vegetables. Through the WIC office in Greenfield, the Hampshire students are helping to provide fresh fruits and vegetables each week to 25 area families.
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