News and Releases

News Releases

NVCC’s Horticulture Students Grow Fresh Produce for Fellow Students Struggling with Food Insecurity

June 21, 2018

There were students struggling with hunger in their classrooms, studying in the library, and walking through NVCC’s halls. Faculty and staff didn’t know how many students grappled with food insecurity, but they knew first-hand that the hungry students were numerous and that the College had to come together and do something about it. Through a coordinated effort, an on-campus student food pantry was opened in February. During the first 42 days of operation—between the Pantry’s Valentine’s Day opening and March 30^th—807 student visits were recorded, or a rate of nearly twenty students a day.

While the initial service at the pantry was a “grab and go,” allowing students to grab a quick snack or meal, such as a granola bar, and a warm item such as individual-serving sizes of macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, soups, or pasta, a grocery area of the Pantry opened allowing students in need to pick up 20 items per month. Items such as cooking oil, beans, and pasta sauces were available and the vision to expand upon this area with fresh produce was made a reality by Horticulture students in Professor Chris Tuccio’s Greenhouse Management & Operations class. The four-credit class focuses on many learning objectives including the selection, production, and management of greenhouse and bedding plants, and is a class where students are typically assigned to grow ornamentals and edible plants. Since the edible crops were not sold after harvest, they would make a perfect addition to the food pantry, Tuccio noted, and he was able to put his plan in motion.

This past spring semester, each student in the class was assigned a crop to grow and a group of four students were assigned hydroponic edible crops such as lettuce, kale, tomatoes, and arugula. When the plants had grown, students in the class harvested, washed, and delivered them to the pantry. This last spring semester, two harvests yielded 150 heads of lettuce. Tuccio hopes to continue the success from this year’s collaboration into next semester making different types of leafy greens such as kale, arugula, and Swiss chard available to the pantry’s visitors. For the fall semester, mostly herbs and lettuce will be grown, harvested, and donated to the pantry.

“Opportunities such as this allow instructors to demonstrate the valuable community-based mission of our institution through the lens of an academic discipline. It is a unique and wonderful collaboration,” said Tuccio.

“I appreciate the generosity of faculty and students as we strive to alleviate food insecurity challenges for many of our students. Professor Tuccio’s dedication is to be commended,” said NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.

Individuals or organizations who want to donate to NVCC’s student food pantry, should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Dean of Development at NVCC.