Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 41.51
Liaison Lori Chance
Submission Date May 16, 2024

STARS v2.2

Messiah University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 3.00 Lori Chance
Sustainability Program Coordinator
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Community Aid

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Sustainability-related

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
No

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
Messiah University has recently partnered with Community Aid to ensure a sustainable move out program for students. Community Aid provided a pick up trailer for students unwanted items at the end of the academic year. Community Aid will sort these items (mostly clothing) and redistribute to their local stores.

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
No

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
The Office of Sustainability is partnering the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for reforestation and riparian buffer purposes. The Alliance has supplied us with experts on biodiversity as well as over 500 trees that were planted by students, faculty and staff throughout campus to help with the riparian zone of the Yellow Breeches Creek that runs through our campus. Our relationship will continue with this organization in Spring and Fall of 2023 as we partner to maintain the food forest and pollinator meadow on campus.

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Honey Bee Friendly

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
No

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Our partnership with Honey Bee Friendly provides us with extra assistance in managing our apiaries. Greg Hildebrand, Honey Bee Friendly's owner, has agreed to assist with the set up and maintenance of our hives. He works in conjunction with our work study students as well as any interested faculty, staff or student of the university. Greg provides educational trainings atleast twice times per year and also assists in helping us move our hives South for the Winter.

A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
Wildheart Ministries - neighborhood beautification, community garden; New Hope Ministries - food pantry, Bethesda Mission - food pantry, homeless outreach
Usually some sort of semesterly drive goes to one of those orgs
Weekly outreach with Bethesda, Wildheart, and New Hope. With breaks over the summer and winter when school is not in session.
Weekly teams help serve the organization as it meets its own goals. Teams range from 3-10 people per week, per organization.
With Bethesda and Wildheart Ministries serving primarily the Allison Hill area of Harrisburg, there is an emphasis on justice towards the community members there who are majority non-white and low household income rates.
Messiah entered into a relationship this year with Wildheart.

Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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