Serving Others | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services. The author of this post is Crystal Baity.

ECU students Tynajja Pittman, left, Hasani Edge and Terrell Saunders volunteer at the Greenville Community Garden and Orchard. (Photos by Rhett Butler)

    From preparing garden beds for spring planting to delivering food to people in need, East Carolina University students on spring break last week learned about food insecurity close to home.

    ECU's Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement partnered with local community organizations to provide opportunities for students to address a variety of social causes through the Alternative Break Experience (ABE) program.

    In Greenville, ECU students started the week at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, where they wiped the outside of donated juice pouches and packed them in boxes.

    ECU junior Shayia Coltrane of Greensboro, who is majoring in social work, said one of the most rewarding things about ABE is making a difference. "It's a good experience to give back in the community," she said. "You're serving the people who live here."

    That feeling has stuck with Coltrane since participating in her first ABE as a freshman, when she helped build three houses and was able to meet the people who were going to live there. "Seeing something from start to finish is the best part of ABE, and to see the result of the impact right there," she said.

    Tynajja Pittman of Rocky Mount, a senior majoring in public health, said participating in alternative spring break helped to complete community service hours required for her capstone or senior project. "It's the only time I have to do it," said Pittman, who also works part time with student health.

    Pittman and Coltrane were looking forward to weeding and preparing beds in the community gardens in Bethel and Greenville, potentially transplanting cabbages and onions, and possibly even driving a tractor. "My grandma has a garden, but I've never gotten down and dirty with the weeding and planting," Coltrane said. "If they let me on the tractor, I'll go."

    Katy Locke, assistant director with ECU's Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, was the staff lead on the trip along with Demetrice Sheard, AmeriCorps VISTA member at ECU. Locke said it's important to expose students to food insecurity, hunger and food deserts, where people have limited or no access to healthy food. "You realize it's a lot more common than people see," Locke said. "There is no pause to hunger. It doesn't sleep."

    On campus, the group worked in the Purple Pantry - an on-campus food bank aimed at reducing food insecurity - to prepare for a huge "Pack the Pantry" food drive this month, and to build a mini-pantry for the health sciences campus. In addition to the planned new mini-pantry, the Purple Pantry is open at three locations along with a mini-pantry on main campus.

    Locke said they've seen an increase in need for the pantry since the fall semester. In August, even though it was a short month, they had about 20 visits. In November, there were 150 visits, Locke said.

    Terrell Saunders, a senior from Wilson, said outreach from community gardens and food banks helps fill the gaps that exist from eastern North Carolina food deserts. "You can drive miles without seeing a grocery store," he said.

    In addition to the ABE in Greenville, another group of ECU students worked with the N.C. Coastal Federation on oyster reef construction and nature trail maintenance in Carteret County and at a rain garden in Swansboro. And in Raleigh, ECU students learned about citizenship by registering voters, volunteering at a local food bank and nonprofit resale store, and visiting the N.C. Legislature, N.C. Supreme Court and several museums.