Colleen Hammelman on how Charlotte-area students are tackling food insecurity
Colleen Hammelman, associate professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences and director of the Charlotte Action Research Project (CHARP), was featured in The Charlotte Observer’s article, ‘How Charlotte-area students are tackling food insecurity in their own backyard.’
According to research conducted at UNC Charlotte, around 15% of Mecklenburg County residents live in food deserts, which is higher than the national average of 11% and the state average which hovers around 13%.
In order to combat this, five Charlotte-area students set out to teach elementary schoolers at Charles H. Parker how to grow their own produce. With guidance from volunteers from N.C. State Extension Master Gardener Program, the middle and high schoolers meet with two classes of second graders to teach them which plants to grow at different times of year and how to tend to them.
“It’s a good opportunity for kids to get their hands on fresh produce, and there’s research out there that says kids who grow their own vegetables are more likely to eat that produce,” Hammelman said. “So, there’s an education piece there.”