Students looking to get more deeply involved in the Easton community don’t need to venture too far off campus this weekend.
On Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Landis Center, LaFarm and the Society of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (SEES) are hosting the college’s first-ever LaFarmapalooza, a culmination of several volunteering initiatives. The event is also one of the college’s first in-person community outreach events since the pandemic began.
During the event, student volunteers will be able to help out at LaFarm, and SEES will be creating compost tumblers.
According to Lisa Miskelly, assistant director of food and farm at the Office of Sustainability, LaFarm hosted an 11 week-long vegetable stand over the summer that will be ending this upcoming weekend. Volunteers participating in LaFarmapalooza will clean up the gardens, which accumulated clutter during the stand’s run.
Miskelly also believes that the event will be an opportunity for Lafayette students to understand the importance of farming.
“Eating is pretty vital to who we are and us staying alive, and we have become fairly disconnected from that process. It is important for us to all recognize how food is grown and where our food comes from,” Miskelly said.
In a typical year, LaFarm and the Landis Center complete community service throughout the Easton community. However, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to vulnerable communities in Easton, LaFarmapalooza will take place exclusively on campus and at LaFarm this year.
Whether throughout Easton or within campus, however, Miskelly said that community service is a vital component of being a college student.
“It is easy on the hill to stay on the hill and not really recognize the impact we have on the community around us,” Miskelly said. “It is about us having a connection to the place where we live and the people in that place and having an awareness of how we are all connected to each other.”
Students can sign up for four different time slots to participate in LaFarmapalooza on OurCampus. The Landis Center will provide transportation to and from LaFarm and the main campus.
