Crozer Health Volunteers Join Chester, Pa. Residents and Businesses for Earth Day of Service at the Ruth Bennett Community Farm
Community Helped Prepare Chester’s Largest Community Farm for Summer Season
On a beautiful Saturday morning on April 24, more than 50 volunteers, including 40 from Crozer Health, joined the Chester Housing Authority (CHA) and the city of Chester, Pa. for an Earth Day community service project to benefit the CHA’s Ruth Bennett Community Farm.
The Ruth Bennett Community Farm is an educational farm and environmental center located on 2 acres at the Ruth L. Bennett Homes in Chester. The farm provides fresh, affordable produce for residents of public housing and the greater Chester community.
The volunteers helped prep the farm for the busy summer season. They participated in various activities, including:
- Weeding beds
- Placing 30 new beds and filling with soil and compost
- Storm-water management project to improve site drainage
- Trash pick-up around the grounds
“The Ruth Benett Community Farm is so appreciative of the volunteers who came out for our Earth Day of Service,” said Natania Schaumburg, Ruth Bennett Farm manager. “We were able to fill wet areas with stone, weed 20 beds, fill 14 beds with soil and compost, and break down and replace 20 existing beds. With your help, we are in a great position to start the season off strong. Thanks for the positive energy and hard work, and we look forward to having you back again!”
“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to volunteer at the Ruth Bennett Community Farm,” said Amanda Kropp, Operations Specialist, Crozer Health Medical Group. “It is a hidden gem in Chester that benefits the community we serve every day.”
These volunteer efforts will help CHA’s biweekly food distribution for CHA residents, particularly seniors. The distribution was established in April 2020 as part of CHA’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and was restarted this month. Every other week, Chester residents will be able to pick up nutritious and organic fresh food including salad greens and spinach, carrots, onions, potatoes, apples, strawberries, and eggs.