Bucknell Students Launch Projects Addressing Food Access, Services in Lewisburg

Students enrolled in Bucknell University's Management 101 course launched a slate of community service projects this week that span five of Union County's most persistent social needs: hunger, domestic violence, child poverty, first responder support, and youth development. The initiatives, organized through the Freeman College of Management's signature hands-on course, pair student-run social enterprises with local nonprofit partners across Lewisburg and the broader Susquehanna Valley.

Management 101, a course Bucknell has offered for more than four decades, does not treat community service as a side assignment. Students form actual companies, design and sell products, and direct the proceeds to nonprofit organizations they have contracted as community partners. The model means that what gets delivered to local organizations depends on how well students execute as entrepreneurs, not just as volunteers.

Food access is among the most concrete pressure points the current semester addresses. The Lewisburg Community Garden, a joint project between Bucknell and the Borough of Lewisburg at North Water Street and St. Anthony Street, maintains approximately 40 low-cost plots available to local individuals, families, and groups, while donating surplus organic produce to area hot-meal and food security programs. The university's Morrow Farm, renamed last week following a major private gift, has operated since 2018 as a second campus anchor for local food production, now drawing roughly 1,500 students through approximately 50 courses each academic year.

The spring 2026 launch comes as Bucknell received the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, placing it among 237 institutions nationally recognized for sustained, mutually beneficial community partnerships. The designation tracks whether university work produces documented outcomes for host communities, not just academic credit for students.

For Union County residents who want to connect with food access resources directly, the Lewisburg Community Garden accepts inquiries about plot availability and volunteer opportunities through Bucknell's civic engagement office. The garden's Food Access Coordinator manages plot rentals, volunteer recruitment, and meal planning tied to the community food programs the garden supplies. With the spring semester running through May, student teams and their nonprofit partners are working toward completing project deliverables within the next 60 days.