Bates College
EN-10: Community Partnerships

The Lots to Gardens program in Lewiston/Auburn, Maine is a core community partner for Bates College. The program grew out of a Bates student's senior thesis on food justice and sustainability and is now a vitally important community program under the St. Mary's Health Systems umbrella and featuring dozens of gardens, most of which are located in low income neighborhoods whose residents work the gardens and enjoy their harvests. Garden produce is also used for the Good Food Bus program, community cooking classes, and other programs aimed at community well-being, poverty reduction, and ecological sustainability. Bates students contribute to the partnership through community-engaged learning classes, community-engaged research projects, paid (by the college) academic year part-time jobs and summer fellowship positions, and volunteering. The community gardens not only produce fresh fruits and vegetables, but also contribute to vibrant city neighborhoods and remove barriers to accessing fresh foods. The gardens also act as outdoor classrooms that provide unique opportunities for community engagement and build neighborhood pride—empowering residents to care for communal city space. Gardeners learn to respect and value differences, appreciate one another’s culture and cultivate life-long friendships. http://www.stmarysmaine.com/nutrition-center/lots-to-gardens

In partnership with a private family foundation and the Nature Conservancy, Bates College manages the bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area, which is a 600-acre area of permanently protected salt marshes and coastal uplands, extending from the Sprague River to the Morse River and to the upland edge of Seawall Beach. Bates partners with local communities to preserve the plants, birds, animals, and natural communities within the area. These include the nesting sites of the piping plover and the least tern (endangered species of birds which nest on the bare sand), as well as numerous rare and fragile plants, mosses, and lichens. In addition to conservation, Bates supports extensive education and research activities at BMMCA. Each year, over 1,000 students from regional grade schools and colleges utilize Bates-Morse Mountain for environmental studies, leadership development, and wellness. In addition, Bates College and affiliated institutions conduct ongoing environmental research throughout the area, including leading edge research on climate change and sea-level rise. http://www.bates.edu/harward/bates-morse-mountain-shortridge/

Every year, Bates partners with the Share Center and John Murphy Homes, as well as up to 7 other nonprofits, to conduct our annual Clean Sweep sale, which fills our entire sport arena with donated clothing from outgoing students. Together, we are able to raise roughly $20,000 for local nonprofits, keep this material from the landfill, and offer a cheap option for clothing and home goods to under-served populations in nearby Lewiston and Auburn. The sale itself and any items remaining after the sale go to nonprofits working with new citizens and people in need.