Hi everyone! I am Deanna Homan, the AmeriCorps Member for the Sustainable Food Systems Program. In this blog post I’ll be sharing about the AmeriCorps program, a little bit about me, and what I’ll be doing during my term of service.
What is AmeriCorps? Great question! AmeriCorps is a National Service Movement that brings together thousands of service members each year in a domestic Peace Corps to serve their local communities. For Centre County, the local AmeriCorps initiative is called the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps. There are other Service Members in Centre County as well, focusing on the environment and education.
A little bit about my background and how I got here. I’m a State College native and a Penn State graduate (Plant Science ‘20). During my time at Penn State, I was introduced to the Student Farm and the Club by a friend and loved it, so, naturally, I was involved throughout my four years. As a student studying plant science, I was extremely interested in the production side of the Student Farm and was a farm intern for a summer and a fall semester. I learned so much about farming and our local food system through my experience with the Student Farm and loved to share what I learned with friends and family who may not have been very aware of how our food system works.
Since graduating, I lived out west for a year and came back to State College last summer. I worked in education and stayed connected to farming through helping out on local farms.
The AmeriCorps Members who have served before me have made an incredible impact in the Centre County community and the SFSP and I am thrilled to be part of the team this year! During my term of service, I will be focusing on education and food security, both on campus and the surrounding community. On campus we have The Lion’s Pantry, a food bank run by students for students. The Lion’s Pantry addresses and mitigates student food insecurity by providing resources directly to the student. Read more about them and their work here.
Another aspect of food security I’ll be focusing on is ensuring that food does not go to waste. Food waste is a huge issue at all levels in the food supply chain. While there are many reasons behind food waste, I’ll be focusing on reducing food waste at the farm production level. Instead of produce going to waste, it will be gleaned, then distributed to where it is needed in our community. (If that sounds interesting to you, keep an eye out for ways you can be involved later this year!)
One reason this position with AmeriCorps and the SFSP interested me is because I care deeply for Centre County and Penn State and through this position I can use what I have gained elsewhere to serve my home community to make it a stronger and healthier community. Thanks for reading my blog post and if you see me around, say hi!