Despite the rain, about 300 UMass Dartmouth students came together on Sunday, Sept. 7 to help squash food insecurity at the YMCA Sharing the Harvest Community Farm by harvesting butternut squash. 

The YMCA farm grows food for South Coast residents through their Sharing the Harvest program. All the harvested food is given away for free to the United Way of Greater New Bedford’s Hunger Commission, who distributes the food. 

The students helped to harvest an estimated 4,000 pounds of butternut squash. The harvest of all crops for the year will be about 50,000 pounds.

“I always feel like it’s good to give back,” said Elliot Pichardo, a first year student from Westwood. “Not take everything for granted, and this is just one of those good things.”

Bristol County was found to be the second most food insecure county in the state by a MassInc Polling Group, with 47% of residents being nutrition and food insecure. Through their community farming initiatives, the Dartmouth YMCA is battling this issue locally. 

According to Ashley Brister, the farm director for Sharing the Harvest, there are three pillars to their mission: producing as much food as they can, creating community around the values of service and education.

“The opportunity to give back to your community is very gratifying and an important part of one's connection to their community,” said Brister. 

There has been an ongoing partnership between the YMCA and UMass Dartmouth for about 19 years, with students encouraged to go to the community farm on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. Lucria Ortiz, the CEO of the Dartmouth YMCA, feels this partnership is very important to the community.

“That’s something that’s very critical for community,” said Ortiz, “No organization or institution can do things on their own. They have to have partners, and that's how you really move work along and create greater impact.”

Kimberly Scott, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, recommends that students volunteer when they are feeling disconnected.

The students came in groups for three shifts of harvesting. Between shifts, students enjoyed donuts from Black Dog Donuts and Dessert. There were two chapters of Greek life and many sports teams, as well as students interested in community work. 

“I feel like if you know people that have come from food insecurity, you know what it’s like,” said Francesca Gonzalez, a first year student from Middleboro, “[Volunteering] definitely makes more of a difference than people may think. A lot more of a difference.”