By William McDonough, Staff Writer
For those interested in getting paid to help those less fortunate, the Franciscan Center for Social Concern is offering an opportunity this summer. They are offering four paid positions for the Farm to Table program.
Students who take part in the program will be provided with free room and board and a $1,000 educational award, which will be taken off their tuition. They will also be provided with $900 directly paid to the student.
Alice Miller Nation, director of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern, stated, “For people who are interested in care for creation and for people who are interested in doing something totally out of their comfort zone, it’s a great program.”
She went on to say “It’s hard work. It’s buggy. It’s hot. You get rained on. I mean, it’s really hard work, but it’s very fulfilling.” She also mentioned there could be a learning curve for students who haven’t done farm work before.
Students who get into the program can move in on campus May 30, and work starts on May 31. The last day of work is Aug. 10. The exact location students will be staying is to be determined.
Three days a week, students will work at Canticle Farms, in Allegany, in the morning and four days a week, students will work in the Warming House, a soup kitchen in Olean, N.Y. There is no work on Saturdays in the program.
Miller Nation mentioned that, whilst in the program, students are asked not to have another job during the summer. The hours are less than 40 hours a week, so students have some free time on campus.
Students who get accepted into the program will stay on campus, but the location on campus is to be determined. Students will have full access to the campus during the summer. The program is intended to be a community experience.
Miller Nation said on Saturdays, the day off in the program, students could sometimes go on field trips. These field trips could include kayaking, drive-in movies and picnics.
Students who get accepted into the program will have professional development every Friday for an hour. During their professional development they will be fed brunch after a week of feeding others. The program is supposed to be more than just a job. Students are intended to think about what they are doing, which includes taking food they hand cultivated and bringing that same food to those less fortunate. Not only is it supposed to show students the value of the food students eat every day, but the program lets students see how much more valuable food is to the visitors in the Warming House.
Students who are interested can sign up through Handshake, St. Bonaventure University’s job site, by searching “FCSC: Farm to Table Summer Employee” and clicking the icon that says the same. There will also be an interest meeting Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the McGinely-Carney Center for Franciscan Ministry in the center of campus. The meeting will be held in the conference room.
mcdonowo19@bonaventure.edu
