News

For the fifth year, Montcalm Community College’s Ag Club shared food bags with 25 underserved students in the area for the holidays.

The bags contain ingredients including apples, potatoes, onions, beef, broth and more to make meals and sweet treats.

There is one common theme that members of the Ag Club agree upon. They said they joined the organization because they “enjoy helping others.”

Lauren Daily said, “outreach to the community is very important to me.”

Lariah Tissue added that “this event is important because it is a need for people.” 

Madison Hartman said she joined the Ag Club because it was “a part of her life in high school and is a part of the field she is majoring in.” 

To Hartman, participation in the club supports her education while allowing her to giveback to the community as well. 

Second-year member Nathan Hochstein said the reason he joined Ag Club was because he enjoys “being around others.”

“I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where there was little agriculture and since moving to the Lower Peninsula, I noticed that agriculture really brings people together and creates a sense of community,” he said.

Biology Instructor Michelle Gibson, Ph.D., is one of the advisers of Ag Club and said the project brings together many aspects of service learning.

“It is a good project to link the students’ interests, growing food and helping the community,” Dr. Gibson said. “Most of the food in the baskets is grown or raised locally or something the club itself can raise. The students want to give back and this is a good way for them to do it. They often learn just how much organizing and logistics it takes to do a project that starts out seeming simple. However, they do a good job of splitting up the work - another good thing to learn!”

“These students all grow together not just through the Ag Club but through the classes they take together,” Dr. Gibson said. “They come together as students, grow together as students, and graduate together as better people.”

The holiday project is one of several activities the club plans throughout the year. In the spring, they will host their annual plant sale as a fundraiser to support projects such as this. Visit montcalm.edu/ag-club for more information.

Media inquiries, please contact:

Shelly Springborn
Director of Communications and Public Relations
shellys@montcalm.edu
989-560-0833