"The goal is not to protect the environment but create a world where the environment does not need protecting."
|
UGArden has four main goals: to teach students to grow food using organic practices through experiential learning; to share healthy, sustainably grown food with members of the local community who are facing food insecurity; to provide an opportunity for engagement, service and experimentation; and to foster an entrepreneurial spirit. Serve UGA has been partnering with UGArden since 2018!
What does Service at UGArden Look Like?
UGArden depends on volunteers to keep the farm running. Volunteers help plant, harvest, weed, cultivate herbs, and maintain the farm. Volunteers of all ages are welcome, non-student and students alike. Volunteers are a large part of the UGArdent mission to help teach people about organic gardening and provide service and engagement. Volunteers are given instructions and are taught what to do each time so there’s absolutely no experience necessary, the cool thing is, every time you come you learn a little more and are given more responsibility. UGArden provide tools, gloves and encouragement. You can see your impact every time you volunteer, whether through weighing the produce to be donated or clearing a field for new crops to be planted. It is sometimes dirty and hard work but always rewarding and fun! Serve UGA has partnered with UGArden since the beginning of 2018! 
|
Meet the Community Partner:
Lynae is the Volunteer Coordinator at UGArden and an AmeriCorps service member. She gives tours, explains projects and instructions to volunteers, and works alongside them! I started at UGArden as a summer associate with AmeriCorps VISTA. I quickly grew to love working at the garden and accepted a yearlong position with AmeriCorps as the volunteer coordinator. UGArden's mission is to teach students hands-on about organic farming, share produce with our community, and provide a space for innovation and experimentation. I see UGArden staying as dedicated to these goals as we are now as well as continuing to make local, sustainable, and organic produce as accessible to our Athens community as we can.
Message: "You don't have to be a horticulture student to be involved! The majority of our interns and volunteers aren't - just folks with a heart for plants and organic veggies." Fun Fact: "UGArden is the first produce farm I have ever worked on!" Contact: Ugarden@uga.edu "The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it" |
Meet the Site Leaders!
|
morgan beckham
Major: Psychology major, Public Health Minor Why did you join Serve UGA? "I joined Serve because I wanted to help make a sustainable, positive impact on the Athens community alongside the Serve UGA family and other UGA students." Fun Fact: I love being in nature and I recently became a plant mom. I also love to sing and started learning how to play the piano. Contact: mab30715@uga.edu |
|
elizabeth esser Major: Genetics and Ecology Why did you join Serve UGA? I wanted to join Serve to become more involved in and learn more about the Athens community, and to help further Serve's mission of sustainable service. Fun Fact: I have 28 plants in my apartment. I also love hiking, and I've hiked an active volcano! Contact: eae93560@uga.edu |
|
akash sinha
Major: Environmental Health Science I love that UGArden brings refreshing outdoor time and volunteer work together. I deeply believe in UGArden's mission to break the cycle of food security in Athens and I'm always interested in learning new things through experiential learning. I am excited to harvest veggies and get involved in some farming projects for the first time. Fun Fact: Three generations in my family have done prison reform work. Contact: mak50741@uga.edu |
