Tucked behind the Lowery Fitness Center, colorful rows of carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes create a peaceful oasis for the volunteers at The Dickson Foundation Community Garden. 
They soak in the sunshine and each other’s company as they weave through the rows, weeding, watering, and planting. Their hours spent here will be turned into a fruitful harvest for all the Meredith community to enjoy.
As someone who spends time here almost every day, Antonia Scherlen, a student in Meredith’s graduate nutrition program, sees firsthand how the garden is good for both body and soul.
“Students find joy in being outside and learning about nature,” she said. “People find working in the garden relaxing, and it’s a benefit when they get to take home vegetables that are ready to harvest. The garden is such a peaceful place to decompress, get some sunshine, and slow down.”
Almost every weekday, you can find volunteers in the garden doing just that.
Some days it’s an entire First Year Experience class trekking down to the garden to explore its rows for the first time. Other days it’s a group of graduate nutrition students laughing as they plant seeds, letting the hours roll happily by. Another day it may be a single volunteer smiling to herself as she peacefully tends the baby plants.
M.S. in Nutrition student Mindy Chu shares why the garden is the place she heads to when she has a moment to breathe between the demands of work and school.
“Volunteering in the garden is quite fun,” she said. “Not only are we helping take care of the plants, but we also make new friends while doing so. It provides us with an opportunity to connect with students of different years who we might not meet in a class. My favorite part is yapping with the other garden volunteers while we work because it makes time fly by. Typically, I help with weeding. I grab a bucket, put on some gardening gloves, and get to yanking them out of the beds!”
Whether volunteering with friends or by herself, the garden is a special place for Chu.
“It’s pretty therapeutic, especially when the weather is nice,” she said. “When others are there, we talk about literally anything and everything. When it’s just me, I’ll listen to some music!”
For Yarivette Cruz, a Master’s student in Nutrition Science, a little time in the garden each week goes a long way.
“Volunteering at the garden means a lot to me,” she said. “I usually go once a week for about an hour, and most of my time is spent weeding and helping keep the garden clean. Even though it seems like a simple task, it makes a big difference in maintaining the garden to help plants grow properly.”
Cruz finds that volunteering not only makes a difference for the plants but also for herself.
“When I go to the garden, somehow being surrounded by greenery and fresh air makes me feel relaxed and connected to nature and the Meredith community,” she said. “My favorite part is seeing the plants grow and bear fruit. It is extremely satisfying to watch the small peppers and other vegetables, like kale, develop.”
These vegetables may start small, but as volunteers put in the effort week after week, what started as a few seeds and then a few baby plants ends as a bountiful harvest.
Much of the fresh produce goes straight to filling the shelves of the Martin Market, adding to the usual store of canned goods and prepackaged meals in the food pantry. It’s refreshing to see heads of broccoli and lettuce, handpicked that morning by a Meredith student from Meredith soil.
“First and foremost, [The Dickson Foundation Community Garden’s] purpose is to help fight food insecurity on campus,” said Ashley Stephenson, a dietetics graduate student. “Two in five college students face food insecurity, and what we harvest in the garden helps to stock the Martin Market.”
Most days, students will head to the garden or food pantry to take home a share of the harvest, but on a few days throughout the year, the garden comes to them through the Farm Stand. Students walking to and from class are greeted with a colorful display of peppers, carrots, and lettuce, and a friendly smile from Stephenson.
Seeing this beautiful harvest open for all to enjoy inspires students to help bring the bounty to life.
“When we have students getting involved in the garden by choice, I always get excited,” said Stephenson. “It’s an opportunity to spread awareness about food insecurity as I believe it’s often not recognized. But I also love that students are taking time to be in nature. I personally feel the garden is a great source for improving mental health [and] an opportunity to take a break to connect with nature.”
Whether planting, weeding, watering, or harvesting, there are always opportunities to show this beautiful garden some love.
“It’s easy to get involved in volunteering at the Dickson Foundation Community Garden!” says student volunteer Chu. “You just put your name on a date and time [on the sign-up sheet], then show up! A garden leader will guide you about what tasks need to be worked on and how to do them.”
Sign up here to volunteer at the Dickson Foundation Community Garden.
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