Baylor Campus Kitchen and Heart of Texas Urban Gardening Coalition Partner to Host MLK Day of Service

January 12, 2018

Baylor students honor Dr. King’s legacy through service opportunities in local gardens, schools and parks


Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
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WACO, Texas (Jan. 12, 2018) – More than 300 Baylor University students and community volunteers will gather on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service to work at nine community garden sites across the city of Waco from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15. The service project is hosted by Baylor Campus Kitchen and Heart of Texas Urban Gardening Coalition.

“MLK Day of Service is an opportunity to honor the legacy of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by working together with others to make our community a better place,” said Erin L. Payseur-Oeth, associate director of civic learning initiatives and staff adviser for Baylor Campus Kitchen. “As we commemorate Dr. King’s life today, we continue his legacy of service, and we continue working toward his dream of freedom and justice for all. Today, we do that by working alongside others to invest in our communities and, to draw from the garden metaphor, we do that by planting seeds of hope and love in our communities.”

On Monday, volunteers will prepare gardens for spring planting, including building beds and compost bins, weeding, clearing pathways and providing general garden maintenance.

“Just as community gardens bring people together across differences, we come together today as students and community members, as neighbors and strangers, as individuals and families, as friends and fellow citizens, to invest in making our community and our world a better place,” Payseur-Oeth said.
Student volunteers with Campus Kitchen at Baylor University will prepare and deliver box lunches to the Baylor student and community volunteers at nine work sites, which are listed below.

Baylor Campus Kitchen is a student-led organization that provides students with opportunities to alleviate hunger in Waco, minimize food waste, develop leadership skills, serve others and open pathways between the University and the community.

One of Baylor Campus Kitchen’s biggest projects is the Campus Kitchen Community Garden, located on the corner of Ninth Street and James Avenue, in which student volunteers grow fresh produce to prepare healthy meals.

Founded in 2008, Baylor Campus Kitchen is an affiliate of the national nonprofit Campus Kitchens Project and the first Campus Kitchen in Texas. Baylor students are encouraged to sign up for volunteer shifts working in the garden, serving in Baylor’s dining halls, recovering unused foods or delivering meals to the Salvation Army, Mission Waco, the Family Abuse Center and other nonprofits in Waco.

WORK SITES ON MLK DAY OF SERVICE, MONDAY, JAN. 15
Baylor Community Garden (Lay foundation for garden shed, weeding, general garden maintenance) 1705 S. Ninth St., Waco, TX 76706

Bells Hill Elementary (Completing a compost pile, general garden maintenance) 2100 Ross Ave. Waco, TX 76706

Carver Neighborhood Family Garden (General garden maintenance) A few blocks from G.W. Carver Middle School on Carver Avenue. The middle school is located at 1601 J.J. Flewellen Rd., Waco, TX 76704.

Children's Garden and Outdoor Classroom (General garden maintenance and bed construction) 100 N. Oak St., Lorena, TX 76655

Hewitt Community Garden (Constructing tepee trellis: clearing ground, building, and preparing for planting, working on pathways and mulching existing garden beds) 600 S. First St., Hewitt, TX 76643

Indian Spring Middle School (General garden maintenance and bed construction, raking leaves and organizing greenhouse) 500 N. University Parks Drive, Waco, TX 76701

Keep Waco Beautiful (Clean out Miss Nellie's Pretty Place, preparing for mulch and site upgrades) Cameron Park, 2601 Sturgis Rd., Waco, TX 76708

National Women in Agriculture Association Garden (General garden maintenance and bed construction) Located at the corner of Renick Street and Garrison Street.

Tennyson Middle School (Trimming brushes, building compost bins with pallets and adding sprinklers to flowerbeds) 6100 Tennyson Drive, Waco, TX 76710

World Hunger Relief (Prepare facilities for the Alternative Spring Break Season, including preparing landscapes, sanding and painting world map and cleaning out accommodation facilities) 356 Spring Lake Rd., Waco, TX 76705

by Brooke Battersby, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.