Volunteer Regional Food Pantry Open House
Unity Students Make Lasting Impact on Surrounding Communities

Unity, Maine – December 10, 2010 –  When community members attend the open house at the Volunteer Regional Food Pantry in Unity on Saturday, December 11, they will be joined by a group of friends and acquaintances from Unity College.

The event, which is dubbed Extreme Makeover, Food Pantry Edition, is made possible in part by the volunteer efforts of Unity College students in the community oriented Environmental Citizen class taught by Professor John Zavodny.

Students from Zavodny’s class spent the fall semester working closely with food pantry volunteers, lending a hand on a number of ongoing projects, from painting to helping create a Volunteer Regional Food Pantry history wall.  The wall documents the volunteerism that has made the pantry a vibrant and growing enterprise.  It will be unveiled at Saturday’s open house, which will also feature music by Unity College student Robert Eckelbecker.

The efforts are part of a larger picture that is tied to a strong service learning component in the college’s curriculum.

Sara Trunzo’08, a board member at the pantry and Food and Farm Project Coordinator at Unity College, worked closely with the students.  She sees their efforts as important in supporting the expansive goals of the pantry.

“The pantry is very cutting edge,” explained Trunzo.  “We want to develop into an education center where people come to participate in cooking classes and other food related activities, and these individuals may or may not also be clients.”

Veggies for All, a program that grows fresh produce that serves the food pantry in Unity and several similar concerns, has added an important dynamic to the mix.  At the fall harvest Veggies for All donated 7 tons of fresh produce to the pantry and several similar concerns.

As Trunzo pointed out during a recent appearance on WCSH-TV Channel 6 in Portland, Maine, Veggies for All underscores the importance of ensuring access to fresh produce for food pantry clients.

On December 17 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Trunzo will address regional food insecurity and services available to those in need on Mid-Coast Currents, a new public affairs program hosted by Zavodny on WERU Community Radio 89.9 FM.  She will be joined by Ann Acheson, Research Associate at the University of Maine Margaret Chase Smith Center, Editor of Maine Policy Review, and author of the 2009 Poverty in Maine Update; Jennifer Gunderman-King, co-administrator and co-founder of the Davistown Community Farm Share Program; and Barbara Murphy, Extension Educator for the Oxford County Cooperative Extension.

“There is hunger in this area in the best of times,” noted Zavodny.  “In these difficult economic times, the problem of hunger becomes even more pronounced.”

The good news, says Zavodny, is that there are scores of creative programs and dedicated volunteers who are making a significant positive impact.

Even an optimist knows, however, that there is much work left to be done.

Mid-Coast Currents airs on the third Friday of every month on 89.9 FM from 10- 11 a.m.  Like all WERU programs, Mid-Coast Currents is available for live streaming on the web at weru.org and will also be archived and available at http://archives.weru.org/category/mid-coast-currents.

Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.