Hello everyone! My name is Mary Lemmon and I will be serving with the Sustainable Food Systems Program (SFSP) through AmeriCorps for the next year.
I grew up in Happy Valley and graduated from Penn State in May of 2017 with my degree in Plant Science. While at Penn State, I was involved in the Student Farm before there was a physical farm. I got to be a part of a passionate student initiative and see the Student Farm and the SFSP come into fruition. My senior year I worked as an intern for the Student Farm and was able to experience a semester of hard on-farm work and community development by running the farm’s CSA program.
I grew up in Happy Valley and graduated from Penn State in May of 2017 with my degree in Plant Science. While at Penn State I was involved in the Student Farm before there was a physical farm. I got to be a part of a passionate student initiative and see the Student Farm and the SFSP come into fruition. My senior year I became an intern for the Student Farm and was able to experience a semester of hard on-farm work and community development by running the campus CSA.
After graduation I interned for five months at Share the Harvest Farm in East Hampton, NY. Share the Harvest is a nonprofit, diverse vegetable farm that donates the majority of their produce to their local food pantries, low incoming housing developments, and shelters. This experience solidified my desire and passion for working outside and for being in a community that helps contribute to a sustainable food system.
After my internship in New York, I started working at Happy Valley Vineyard and Winery in State College as a vineyard worker. Throughout the winter I pruned vines and in the spring I pruned some more! It was a great experience to be able to work in a different type of farming.
Now I’m back at Penn State and will be working to further develop and sustain the SFSP. Throughout my time here I will be coordinating and leading tours/volunteer days as well as working on many different projects to develop relationships with other community and campus partners. I am so excited to be back and working with a program that I know and love!
