Students enjoyed music, food, face painting and more at the San Jose State Community Garden in honor of its 10th anniversary on Thursday.
Over the past 10 years, students have built the garden up from a vacant lot to a beautiful hub of gathering and sustainability for the campus community.
The Campus Community Garden is run through the Cesar E. Chavez Community Action Center (CCCAC) and is led by students.
Diana Victa, department manager of the CCCAC, said she is proud of the tremendous growth she has seen in the garden during the last seven years in her position.
“We broke ground 10 years ago after the garden was advocated for by the Student Hunger Committee,” Victa said. “We’ve grown so much as a garden and we wanted to share the celebration.”
The garden was packed with students, and there was a line out the gate as people waited their turn to partake in the festivities.
“I’m just mind-blown by the turnout and the support and the excitement,” Victa said. “I think it really speaks to students’ interest around environmental justice and getting involved.”
Garden coordinator Matthew Spadoni said he was glad so many people came out to show their support.
“This is insane,” Spadoni said. “This is way more people than we’ve ever had for any garden event so it’s amazing. I wish we could fit everyone in all at once.”
At the event, attendees explored the garden and enjoyed the various booths with tacos, churros, screen-printed posters and free merchandise.
Student volunteer and CCCAC member Nancy Maldonado said this kind of turnout wasn’t expected.
“Originally when we started planning this event, our huge concern was that there wasn’t gonna be that many students showing up,” Maldonado said.
She said she believes the student body is more interested in the garden than organizers may have thought.
The garden’s purpose is to help students access healthy food, learn about organic gardening practices and earn volunteer hours while engaging in the community, according to its webpage.
Sociology senior and volunteer Lilyenne Huynh said the Campus Community Garden is a necessary resource for students.
“The lack of accessibility to fresh produce for students and having this as a resource is just something I’m really proud to be working with,” Huynh said.
She said volunteering at the Campus Community Garden goes deeper than simply producing fruits and vegetables.
“Finding a space on campus, especially in the middle of a busy city, and hands-on getting to connect with the earth and see where food comes from is something that makes me feel very relaxed and at peace,” Huynh said. “It does not feel like work.”
