Maryland Football Teams with Maryland Food Bank
7/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Elvis Dennah, Sophomore Safety and 2015 InTERPship Academy Intern
The University of Maryland football team partnered with Farming for Hunger at Serenity Farm on Friday, July 17, to help with a great cause for the community. The players, coaching staff and select football staff members spent the day harvesting, packaging and distributing produce for the Maryland Food Bank.
“We got a chance to help and interact with two types of people today,” sophomore linebacker Jalen Brooks said. “We were able to help struggling families who are getting food from this organization and the people on the farm who work every day. And we also assisted the workers in what may take them a week to complete and we were able to do it in a day which is a very humbling experience.”
Farming for Hunger is a non-profit organization that is intended to help individuals and families in Southern Maryland. The organization helps families gain access to healthy fresh fruits and vegetables. Led by Bernie Fowler Jr, Farming for Hunger is the largest food back program in the state of Maryland.
“It's an honor and a privilege to have the Maryland football team come down today.” Fowler said. “It makes us happy to share this experience with the guys.”
The Maryland football team, coaches, and select staff departed College Park at 9:00 a.m. for an enjoyable drive to Serenity Farm. Arriving around 10:15, the Maryland players, coaches, and select staff got a chance to meet and greet the coordinators and the workers of the farm. They also got a chance to examine the work for the day before breaking into two groups.
Group one was responsible for boxing and packaging produce for distribution to the community. Group two was responsible for helping in the fields where they harvested produce in different areas of the farm. Each group got a chance to work alongside 10-to-12 Department of Correction Inmates which was a very valuable experience.
“Getting the team together to have a chance to be in service is an essential part of the student-athlete experience and is one of the purposes of this trip,” Director of Player Development Bryce Beville said. “Partnering with Farming for Hungry is a very important experience for our student-athletes. The guys got a chance to work together and realize how fortunate they are to be student-athletes at the University.”
The players, coaches, and staff had the opportunity to sit down with ex and current inmates in order to share their life experiences.
“I learned to not take things for granted and talking with few of the inmates I gained insight about their life and how certain things we take for granted mean a lot to them,” junior tight end Andrew Isaacs said. “Having conversations with the inmates made me happy because I saw how much it meant to them. I enjoy giving back because so much was given to me growing up so having an opportunity to help others was a great experience.”
After having lunch with inmates and the coordinators for Farming for Hunger, the groups helped set up a community food drop at the farm. The food drop consisted of players, coaches, and select staff handing out food to 200-250 families in the area.
