Making healthy food accessible: Student leads pay-what-you-can farmer’s market

At the same time, the Student Farm was seeking ways to distribute produce that it grew. As a member of the Student Farm Club and its food justice project team lead, Alamia connected the dots and saw an opportunity for the two organizations to collaborate and maximize the impact they made for Penn State students.  

“We had a brainstorming meeting on how we could put the produce to good use,” Alamia said. “We wanted to keep it within Penn State, and decided on the Feed the People Market Stand.” 

Thanks to a generous donation from Robert and Cynthia Van Druff, Alamia collaborated with his team members to build a budget for the farm’s pilot year to fund the purchase of market supplies, including tablecloths, baskets, wagons and produce bags and other packaging. The team also managed schedules to coordinate the weekly harvest and delivery of produce; learned to document important quantifiable data, to be able to report on the farm stand’s output and use the information when applying for future grants; and gained experience in recruiting and managing volunteers, who are critical to the farm’s operations. 

“Penn State is a great place to make your own opportunities,” Alamia said. “It has been a really great place for me, and a lot of other people, to make things happen and grow our own potential.” 

Thanks in large part due to Alamia’s efforts, the Feed the People Market Stand recently wrapped up its second successful season. During its 10-week run in fall 2023, the farm stand sold or gave away more than 600 pounds of fresh produce to nearly 400 customers. The selection included seasonal produce such as bok choy, cabbage, lettuce and microgreens, various types of peppers and tomatoes, herbs, squash and garlic, among others. 

“Jimmy consistently contributes thoughtful insight to addressing food insecurity, stigma and service,” said Heide Gibson, associate director of Student Affairs and manager of the Lion’s Pantry. “Rather than doing so through a lens of overwhelm, he does so from a place of wanting to act and identify what can be done.”