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News & Photos
Roots Harvest Benefits MD Food Bank
This summer, volunteers can be found at Roots Farm at sunrise and sunset, and often in between. With a good amount of rain and plenty of sunshine in June and July, crops are taking off at Roots. You could say they are “growing like weeds,” which also means the weeds are growing, too. Thanks to energetic groups of volunteers, the crops are being harvested and the weeds are being pulled.
On one of the few sweltering Saturdays in July, a crew of more than 30 volunteers showed up at the farm at sunrise to harvest green beans; and in a short amount of time, a number of families, alums, faculty, and administration picked more than 230 pounds. The harvest was then donated to Carroll Food Sunday, a non-profit that supplements needy families in Carroll County, and to the Maryland Food Bank, a statewide organization that relies on local farms for donations of fresh produce.
With this donation, McDonogh was officially added to the Maryland Food Bank’s list of approved partners. Contributing to the Food Bank has always been a part of Roots’ mission and over the years, the farm has donated thousands and thousands of pounds of potatoes to the non-profit. Now, the farm will contribute regularly to the Maryland Food Bank enhancing Roots’ role as both a teaching tool, and as a way to give back to the community in a meaningful way. The growing interest in the farm from volunteers of all ages, insures McDonogh can make a real difference for those in need. Although Roots Manager Sharon Hood has always felt the farm could benefit the needy in our community, her vision became more clear when she and Director of Technology Jack Hardcastle delivered the bean harvest to the Maryland Food Bank.
It was at the massive facility that Hood had what she calls her “aha moment” and says, “When Jack and I took the beans to the Maryland Food Bank and saw this amazing place helping to feed people in Maryland, well, it was just incredible. Butch [Langenfelder, MD Food Bank Food Sourcing Manager] talked about how they need volunteers at the food bank, and that's when it hit me that McDonogh could really make a difference by being a partner farm and donate on a regular basis, and volunteer. What a package! What a way for us to do the greatest amount of good in our community that starts right in our backyard, Roots, and fulfills John McDonogh's mission.”
Several days after the bean harvest, a different crop of volunteers showed up at the farm in the evening for the weekly “Technology Free Tuesday.” The group, ranging in age from 18 months to 50 plus years, included students, families, past parents, and alumni. They not only weeded the butterfly garden at sunset, but also saw a completely different side of the farm than those who came for the sunrise event.
“Early morning and evening on the farm look very different. There are different insects and birds, and in the middle of the day there are dragonflies.” Hood describes, “In the evening it’s fun to be out there to see nature in action, and watch the beautiful lightning bugs light up the farm. You just have to come out to the farm to really experience it!”
Like Hood, more and more people are beginning to realize the value of the farm on a variety of levels, from community service to simply getting their hands dirty. As one parent shared as she filled sacks with freshly picked beans, she sends her child to McDonogh for the many opportunities and because the children see that the school community does things for others and not for themselves. Two other recent volunteers, an alum and her brother, a rising sophomore, said they were motivated simply because “Roots is really cool.”
Click here to volunteer at an upcoming Roots event or to learn more about the farm.
View Photos
This summer, volunteers can be found at Roots Farm at sunrise and sunset, and often in between. With a good amount of rain and plenty of sunshine in June and July, crops are taking off at Roots. You could say they are “growing like weeds,” which also means the weeds are growing, too. Thanks to energetic groups of volunteers, the crops are being harvested and the weeds are being pulled.
On one of the few sweltering Saturdays in July, a crew of more than 30 volunteers showed up at the farm at sunrise to harvest green beans; and in a short amount of time, a number of families, alums, faculty, and administration picked more than 230 pounds. The harvest was then donated to Carroll Food Sunday, a non-profit that supplements needy families in Carroll County, and to the Maryland Food Bank, a statewide organization that relies on local farms for donations of fresh produce.
With this donation, McDonogh was officially added to the Maryland Food Bank’s list of approved partners. Contributing to the Food Bank has always been a part of Roots’ mission and over the years, the farm has donated thousands and thousands of pounds of potatoes to the non-profit. Now, the farm will contribute regularly to the Maryland Food Bank enhancing Roots’ role as both a teaching tool, and as a way to give back to the community in a meaningful way. The growing interest in the farm from volunteers of all ages, insures McDonogh can make a real difference for those in need. Although Roots Manager Sharon Hood has always felt the farm could benefit the needy in our community, her vision became more clear when she and Director of Technology Jack Hardcastle delivered the bean harvest to the Maryland Food Bank.
It was at the massive facility that Hood had what she calls her “aha moment” and says, “When Jack and I took the beans to the Maryland Food Bank and saw this amazing place helping to feed people in Maryland, well, it was just incredible. Butch [Langenfelder, MD Food Bank Food Sourcing Manager] talked about how they need volunteers at the food bank, and that's when it hit me that McDonogh could really make a difference by being a partner farm and donate on a regular basis, and volunteer. What a package! What a way for us to do the greatest amount of good in our community that starts right in our backyard, Roots, and fulfills John McDonogh's mission.”
Several days after the bean harvest, a different crop of volunteers showed up at the farm in the evening for the weekly “Technology Free Tuesday.” The group, ranging in age from 18 months to 50 plus years, included students, families, past parents, and alumni. They not only weeded the butterfly garden at sunset, but also saw a completely different side of the farm than those who came for the sunrise event.
“Early morning and evening on the farm look very different. There are different insects and birds, and in the middle of the day there are dragonflies.” Hood describes, “In the evening it’s fun to be out there to see nature in action, and watch the beautiful lightning bugs light up the farm. You just have to come out to the farm to really experience it!”
Like Hood, more and more people are beginning to realize the value of the farm on a variety of levels, from community service to simply getting their hands dirty. As one parent shared as she filled sacks with freshly picked beans, she sends her child to McDonogh for the many opportunities and because the children see that the school community does things for others and not for themselves. Two other recent volunteers, an alum and her brother, a rising sophomore, said they were motivated simply because “Roots is really cool.”
Click here to volunteer at an upcoming Roots event or to learn more about the farm.