Nearly one in eight US Americans faced food insecurity according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture report. The University of Saint Mary is cultivating solutions through a simple greenhouse restoration that has blossomed into a food justice initiative, embodying Pope Francis’ call to hear both “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” Through the efforts of two USM faculty members, students will have a practical experience of caring for the earth and the poor.

Integral ecology, a concept introduced by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, says that all relationships impact people and the earth.

The university’s project began as separate ideas, but Ken Slover saw the opportunity to bring them together. “Everything is connected,” explains Slover. “We have a transformational experience for a student to see. Not just, ‘Hey, I’m here growing things for my own use,’ but how it can impact the community.”

When Dr. Nicole Lindor Walker, assistant professor of biology with a PhD in plant biology, joined USM last fall, she eagerly took on the challenge of revitalizing the university’s greenhouse. “I really wanted to bring plants back into my courses. I wanted a place where we could house them, do student research, and grow food and teach students how to grow food,” she explains.

A basic cleanup project quickly evolved into a club called “Leafing a Legacy,” named to honor the Sisters of Charity’s legacy of sustainability. The club has grown from two students at the first meeting to over 20 members, most of whom are first-year students who hope to remain engaged in the project throughout their academic careers.

“The students had such a great time,” Walker notes. “They’re always looking for opportunities to volunteer. They are always looking for opportunities to actually put their hands in the dirt.”

Meanwhile, Lucy McIntyre, director of and instructor in the social work program, is developing a food justice course that will launch next year. Drawing on her professional background in social welfare and personal experience running a community pantry, McIntyre’s course will explore how historical policies and practices have made access to food easier for some and harder for others.

The course will combine theory with hands-on practice as students create a campus garden and develop a sustainability plan. “I want it to be a really hands-on class where we are going and doing,” McIntyre explains. “They are actually building and working on developing the garden in addition to some more traditional academic work.”

McIntyre plans to focus on racial justice aspects and how food systems are impacted. “I feel like access to healthy, sustainable food is a human right. But we do not often talk about it like that,” she says. This perspective places USM’s initiative within the broader national food justice movement, which addresses how food production, distribution, and consumption reflect and reinforce social inequalities, particularly in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods often described as “food deserts.”

Each of the professors hopes these efforts could expand beyond campus. One idea is to partner with the business program to sell produce at farmers’ markets or invite K-12 students to learn about community gardening. Walker sees tremendous potential in this collaborative approach: “It is not just one person’s course or one person’s work, but we really are interdisciplinary with our projects.”

As the project continues to develop, sustainability remains a priority. The team is considering offering stipends for student leaders and finding ways to maintain the garden beyond McIntyre’s course. Their goal is to address food insecurity both on campus and in the wider Leavenworth community.

“We gotta dream big,” says Walker. “I think this is something that is actually doable. It’s plausible. We have already started it. We just need to continue down this path. And while students are interested, it is when we need to capitalize.”

Through the greenhouse revival, student club, and food justice course, USM is nurturing a new generation of students who understand the interconnection between environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

This article appeared in the 2025 Summer Edition of Voices of Charity.

Source: https://www.scls.org/