Campus grown produce is nourishing the minds of students since the start of a new greenhouse group.
The Gryphon Greenhome Growers have given 362 kg (799 lb) of produce to the University of Guelph's food bank since it started as a pilot project in January 2024.
The group was created to contribute to student food security and give students a feeling of home.
Napoli tomatoes, taquito peppers, eggplants and basil are a few of the plants from the Bovey Teaching Greenhouse, where the group has set up shop.
Charlene Winchcombe-Forhan started the Gryphon Greenhome Growers six months before she retired in June as an educational support coordinator in the College of Biological Science at the U of G. She developed a wheelhouse of information that didn’t make into the curriculum she worked on. Now it’s being used with the greenhouse group for students to build skills, explore career options and be a part of a community.
The feedback she got from students is that they enjoy practicing self-care through growing vegetables. “They really appreciated the chance to be in the greenhouse on a winter day when the sun is shining and you know it's bitterly cold outside. To get away from the grades and the assignments and all the commitments and be there with your hands in the soil,” said Winchcombe-Forhan.
They mentioned having a connection to the soil and felt they were contributing to the university community.
There are 15 student volunteers and they are either from the Ontario Agricultural College or the horticulture club. The group welcomes students from across campus and having gardening experience isn’t a necessity. During the summer the growers move to a garden outside.
“This is an opportunity for them to participate in something that's career-like. There aren't any grades attached so there's very little stress associated with it,” said Winchcombe-Forhan.
The goal is to provide as much food to the food bank as possible.
A surprising number of students are food insecure, she said. They range between being mildly food insecure, meaning they worry they may not have enough money for food, to severely food insecure, knowing they won’t have enough money for food.
At the food bank patrons receive a receipt that tells them to enjoy the food grown for them on campus.
Items like basil and tomatoes have a large uptake at the food bank by international students, said Winchcombe-Forhan. Students from countries in Asia use basil to make tea. A student from a middle eastern country thought the tomatoes tasted like candy just like in their home country.
The produce isn't shipped from far away "and that's why it strikes them that it's so much more like home than the food that they may be buying at the grocery store,” said Winchcombe-Forhan.
Greenhome felt more fitting than greenhouse for the name because “it definitely reinforces that there are people here who care about them,” she said.
It’s meant to be a safe space for people to connect with nature and join a community.
The project received funding through the Ontario Agricultural College Learning Trust award so it can continue growing.
