This semester the University of Tennessee's UT Recycling program launched a Grow Lab. The lab is meant to help address food insecurity and serve as an outdoor classroom for students.
Leah McCord is the food systems coordinator for UT Recycling.
She said not having enough food is a real challenge for many students who come to East Tennessee to learn.
"You have students who are studying, going to school and constantly worrying about where their next meal is coming from," she said.
The recycling program partnered with Smokey's Pantry on campus to harvest vegetables that are planted. Garden Manager Don Fike said it they deliver at least 20 pounds of food weekly.
"Everybody needs to eat and the folks who are not eating as much as they should, it's more important for them," Fike said.
The lab will also serve as a classroom. Fike said multiple classes come and help plant the garden and others plan to build the classroom and a pavilion.
"It's a learning experience and this being a college campus, it's an important place to learn these practice," he said.
Facilitators have already started planting crops for the fall season and hope by next spring, they'll be able to provide even more food for the pantry.
"We hope to see those big ripples come from the garden," McCord said.
The garden will hold a grand opening on Sept. 26 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.