Child Development Center students pick 140 pounds of fruit to support Rhody Outpost, food-insecure residents

Preschoolers in the URI Child Development Centers had fun on the farm while helping food insecure members of the community and learning the value of community service.

The URI students recently visited the apple orchard at URI’s East Farm and picked about 140 pounds of apples. The fruit was packed into seven boxes for donations to local food pantries and students on campus who were in need of help. Two boxes were donated to food insecure student athletes at URI; two were donated to food insecure students living in graduate village; one box went to the Jonnycake Center; and two boxes were hand delivered to URI’s Rhody Outpost by the preschoolers.

“Visiting the food pantry helped the young children from the CDC understand exactly what was happening with all of the apples we boxed up for donation,” said CDC Director Jessica MacLeod. “This visit to Rhody Outpost also provided children with information about the important role of food pantries in helping members of the community experiencing food insecurity. Picking apples and boxing them up to donate to others in our local community was a meaningful service learning experience for the children.”

This was the first of several service learning projects that the CDC will facilitate throughout the school year.  “URI has such a strong service mission, even the youngest members of the campus community are learning about and developing a commitment to serving others,” MacLeod said.

The Rhody Outpost food pantry serves all URI students who are food and/or housing insecure, and struggle to make ends meet. The pantry is stocked with canned goods, pasta, peanut butter and jelly, cleaning items and more every day. It also has eggs, bread and fresh vegetables available on Fridays. The pantry is located at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, 15 Lower College Road, Kingston, and is open Mondays and Fridays from 3-5 p.m., or by appointment.

Rhody Outpost relies largely on donations from the community to operate. In addition to cash donations, the pantry accepts donations of gift cards, food, personal items and household supplies. Donation items can be dropped off Mondays and Fridays, 3-5 p.m. at the St. Augustine’s. Gift card and cash donations can be made during regular business hours in Memorial Union Room 302.

The URI Child Development Center is part of the College of Health Sciences’ Department of Human Development and Family Studies.