\u201cIt\u2019s part of our freshmen orientation week, and it\u2019s allowing the students an opportunity to get their community service hours and meet our community,\u201d said Heather Wilcox, director of community engagement at JSU. Transfer students are required to complete 60 community service hours while non-transfer students must finish 120 to graduate.<\/p>\n

The potatoes are donated by the nonprofit Society of St. Andrew, participants in a gleaning grid throughout the state of Mississippi. \u201cGleaning is where you get access to crops that cannot be sold or the farmers are ready to plant their new crops,\u201d explained Wilcox. \u201cThey typically will donate their produce, so they can get their farms ready for next season.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Unofficially known as the sweet potato capital, the bulk of the sweet potatoes are from Vardaman, Mississippi, said the director.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important for us to do this event because some are more fortunate than others,\u201d said Terry Bennett, prevention specialist for Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition. \u201cIt\u2019s always good to give to those who may need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A\u00a0new feature of the Crop Drop was a sweet potato pie contest and seasonings like barbecue sauce, ketchup and honey mustard, plus vegetables from the Blackburn Middle School Garden were\u00a0also given away. Overall, the event provides JSU students an opportunity to interact with the neighborhoods surrounding the HBCU while being a valuable community resource.<\/p>\n

According to Wilcox, nearly 3,000 people were supplied with 2,500 bags of sweet potatoes, and approximately 153 students volunteered their services.<\/p>\n

Students like Shaundra Bennett, a freshmen political science major, spent the morning unboxing, unwrapping and \u201cgetting in where she fits in.\u201d The Jackson native said she never passes up a chance to serve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Crop Drop brings a number of people out here who are in need, and I am more than happy to assist in any way possible,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are some people in this area who may feel that they have nowhere to turn, and being that Jackson State University is the heart of the community, it\u2019s only right that we get out here and help our fellow man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennett said she is looking to work in the public sector with a concentration in law and government, but for now, \u201cit\u2019s initiatives like the Crop Drop that are my focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a student perspective, the freshmen said volunteering is prepping for the future. \u201cThere is never a time where you\u2019re too young to help. As we grow and become older, we will see what our work has done to impact our fellow man. This is a great experience for young people and adults,\u201d she said, adding that she loves oven-roasted sweet potatoes. \u201cYou don\u2019t even need sugar, just add a little cinnamon and some butter, and you are good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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