Squishing cow manure and mixing dirt may not sound like the most ideal weekend activity for many students.
But on Saturday, about 20 OSPIRG members and volunteers did just that during the group’s annual “Hunger Cleanup.”
The group journeyed to a garden where Food for Lane County grows organic produce for needy families. Volunteers did everything from removing weeds to dealing with compost — all to help Food for Lane County feed more people.
Freshman political science major Jake Lorber said the garden plays an important part in helping Food for Lane County provide a more well-rounded diet.
“They collect a lot of canned food [and] a big problem is a lot of these people — the families — don’t get enough produce,” Lorber said. “The farm gets them really fresh produce.”
About a week ago, vandals broke into the garden’s greenhouse and destroyed all the starters, which are seedlings that grow until they can be transferred outside, Lorber said. For much of the three hours they spent at the garden, volunteers mixed different kinds of dirt together and “re-bagged” it so Food for Lane County can start over again as soon as possible.
During that process, Lorber said, the volunteers found some surprises in the grating used to mix the dirt.
“We had to pick little worms out, and that was kind of fun,” Lorber said. “They didn’t stink or anything, [but] we had to try to save them all.”
Junior general science major Stephanie Relling said despite all the weeding and dirt mixing, she had a good time. It was fun to meet people, she said, who were not only from the University, but from Lane Community College and the greater community as well.
“They’re really into it,” Relling said. “And it’s really great to see people coming together to help each other out.”