FARMINGTON – The students of Mt. Blue High School’s Alternative Learning Program spent time learning how to give back to the community this Thanksgiving through volunteering at the Care and Share Food Closet.
The Alternative Learning Program provides an alternative curriculum for high school students. The teachers, Marian Harrison and Sue Knight, combine classroom time and hands-on learning for their students.
“Our projects blend into classwork,” Harrison explained. The freshman class is currently learning about the solar system by completing a quasi-research project growing vegetables on the Mt. Blue Campus to simulate the environment of Mars. They learn the fundamentals in the classroom and apply them in the campus greenhouse and an outdoor hoop house they have built. Soon, they will read the novel Martian by Andy Weir to add a layer of English onto their studies.
On what they call “Adventure Friday,” the students leave campus to learn in the community, all in the “spirit of volunteerism,” as Harrison said. The teachers choose the trips carefully based on student interest and career exploration.
In the past, the students have helped with trail maintenance at Mt. Blue State Park, learned about optimal apple planting at Lane Road Orchard, planted garlic at Rustic Roots Farm, and discovered the inner workings of small farm business at Martin Woods Farm. The most recent activity was volunteering at Care and Share Food Closet.
“The students are learning how the community works together in supporting each other,” Harrison said. “The Care and Share Food closet’s no waste philosophy supports Martin Wood’s Farm and Martin Wood’s Farm hosts fundraisers for the food closet.”
This volunteer experience was a part of the Adulting 101 class, which has involved several trips off campus: the students went to the grocery store to experience shopping for food, visited the farm to see how food is grown, and finally volunteered at the food pantry to round out their understanding. The students will write a newsletter reflecting on these various projects as part of their English class.
At the food closet, the students helped to pack 300 Thanksgiving boxes with pie crusts, pumpkin pie filling, stuffing mix, canned and fresh vegetables, potatoes, apples, squash, roasting chicken, and spices for cooking—enough food for a small Thanksgiving meal. These boxes were then distributed to feed local families for the holiday.
Susan French, President Director of Care and Share Food Closet, spoke in appreciation of the students’ hard work. “It was a great bunch of kids. They worked hard. They were efficient, they were polite,” French said. “I would have that group back anytime.”
The food closet serves over 700 food-insecure families each month, with their monthly boxes of staples and meat and weekly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and other perishable items. They serve Franklin County, but never turn anyone away based on their location. Anyone can come to the pantry at 508 Fairbanks Rd in Farmington during business hours to become a client and get food that same day.
As Harrison mentioned, the students learned that the food pantry is a no-waste organization and it helps to supply other food pantries in the area. They also found out that despite the growing need for food in the community, donations have gone down.
The pantry is the only one in the state that is run entirely by volunteers; no one is reimbursed in any way. If interested in volunteering or donating, call the pantry at 207-778-0508 and ask how to help.
“We need the volunteers,” French said. “We’re very busy.”
The Alternative Learning Program plans to continue their explorations into the community. Contact Marian Harrison, mharrison@mtbluersd.org, or Sue Knight, sknight@mtbluersd.org, with ideas or opportunities to volunteer.
