Elle Lily ’27 (middle) and fellow students sell handmade crafts at Farm Fest. Photo by David Himmelfarb
The Eckerd College Community Farm celebrated its Fourth Annual Farm Fest, complete with hayride, on April 18. This event featured 32 vendors—mostly students—and provided a unique platform for the community to come together to celebrate sustainability and locally sourced produce.
Among the popular stops under the GO Pavilion were first-year student Grace Nowak’s Pet Pops, offering frozen treats for pets; first-year student Isabella Schabilion’s Mango Pies; and senior environmental studies and visual arts student Leo Dutkewych’s Printed Clothing. The farm also brought a crowd favorite to its petting zoo: baby goats from a farm owned by two Eckerd alumni in Bradenton.
360 Eats, a Tampa Bay–area nonprofit that makes meals out of local resources for people in low-income neighborhoods, used over 60 pounds of farm produce to serve up tacos for festivalgoers.
A main focus of the event was its emphasis on sustainability and community support. The EC Community Farm is home to a variety of student-run clubs, educational programs and community organizations; and it serves as a source for hands-on learning. Contributing to the festival were groups such as The Edible Peace Patch Project, a collaboration between Eckerd interns and alumni that focuses on garden education for underserved neighborhoods, and Stewards of Our Urban Lakes, which is dedicated to local conservation efforts.
Farm Manager Maggie Jensen ’11 (back left), Avery McRae ’27 (bottom) and Eyrani Thomas ’26 share the produce they harvested at the farm. Photo by David Himmelfarb
Attendees included baby goats (kids) provided by a local farm in Bradenton owned by Eckerd alumni. Photo by Emmi Elmaleh
David Himmelfarb, Ph.D.—Eckerd instructor of environmental studies, internship coordinator and farm faculty director—says his goals for the farm are to continue to produce high-quality vegetables for the Eckerd community; create diverse learning opportunities for students through classes and professional collaborations; support and partner with community organizations; build communities off and on campus; and establish a platform for student projects, clubs and passion projects.
A plethora of local and student-created businesses came together under GO Pavilion. Photo by Emmi Elmaleh
Himmelfarb notes that strengthening the ecological resilience of the space, utilizing efficient water management and increasing the density of the food forest are additional aspirations. This year, farmworkers built an indigenous land acknowledgment garden, highlighting the history of the area, and next year he expects the community farm to receive some bees from the EC Bee Club.
Himmelfarb credits Farm Manager Maggie Jensen ’11, farm crew members and ambassadors, the Garden Club, and the Ethnobot N’Tea Club for much of the farm’s success.
“It is such a vibrant place,” Himmelfarb says. “There is always something going on.”
