YMCA partners with Cen Clear Services to education volunteers on growing plants

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Centre County YMCA has teamed up with Cen Clear Child Services to improve access to healthy foods in the region.

Volunteers came out early with the gardening tools to begin planting seeds for a healthier future. The farmland for the project in West Decatur was donated to the YMCA by Cen Clear Child Services.

“So our volunteers today are planting all of our vegetables that we have had donated, there’s a couple thousand plants, a lot of tomatoes, zucchini, squash, things like that,” Poorman said.

Organizer Effie Poorman said all the plants they received were donated to the project by local farms in the Centre County area.

“A lot of farms in the Penns Valley area were working with Think We Not Me, Tate Farms, some little farms like Acres,” Poorman said. “So everybody kind of came together and grew some seeds for us.

The food grown on the farm will now be used as part of the YMCA’s anti-hunger programs and will be distributed throughout the community.

Poorman said this project also allowed volunteers to learn how to take care and grow their own fruits and vegetables and live their own healthier lifestyle.

“I think it’s extremely important to teach people more about how sustainable they can provide from themselves,” Poorman said. “Teaching kids where the vegetables come from and how they get it on their plate is a big deal.”

For more information about the YMCA or Cen Clear Services, visit their websites.