For Linnea Camerota ´08, the seeds she sowed at the F.R.E.S.H. New London garden represented the hope, sustainability and conservationism that are at the very core of this New London-based community organization.

Camerota and fellow senior Stephen Mery spent the summer interning for F.R.E.S.H. (Food, Resources, Education, Security, Health), a non-profit organization that seeks to educate, encourage and empower the people of New London County toward personal wellness, community health and environmental stewardship by focusing on the local food system. The organization operates several organic gardens, runs a mobile market that sells the crops produced at the gardens, and offers free weekly community lunches at The Gemma E. Moran United Way Labor Food Center, in addition to other projects and initiatives.

The internship, which was funded by the college´s center for Career Enhancing Life Skills (CELS), allowed Camerota to combine two of her greatest passions: environmentalism - she is an environmental studies major - and children. In addition to harvesting crops and cooking weekly community lunches with members of a New London youth group, Camerota worked with children at New London´s Drop-In Learning Center, teaching them about environmentalism, healthy eating and sustainable living.

-The kids just loved it when we took them to the F.R.E.S.H. community garden and let them weed and plant seeds,- Camerota said. -They really enjoyed being outside and getting their hands in the dirt.-

Teaching children and the community about the work that goes into farming and about good eating habits is extremely important, Camerota said. -Most people don´t even know where their food comes from, but F.R.E.S.H. is starting to get the word out in this urban community.-

Camerota, whose dream is to own an environmentally friendly scuba diving business in Hawaii, adds, -Food tastes so much better when you know where it is coming from.-